OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR

FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES OFCM AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH

FCM-P1-2013

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Federal Plan

for Meteorological Services

and Supporting Research

Fiscal Year 2014

A Half-Century of Multi-Agency Collaboration
THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH (ICMSSR) 

MR. SAMUEL P. WILLIAMSON, Chairman 

Federal Coordinator 

MR. MARK BRUSBERG 

Department of Agriculture 

DR. LOUIS UCCELLINI 

Department of Commerce 

RADM JONATHAN WHITE 

United States Navy 

Department of Defense 

COL JOHN EGENTOWICH 

United States Air Force 

Department of Defense 

MR. RICKEY PETTY 

Department of Energy 

MR. JOEL WALL 

Science and Technology Directorate 

Department of Homeland Security 

MR. JOHN VIMONT 

Department of the Interior 

MR. MARK KEHRLI 

Federal Highway Administration 

Department of Transportation 

 MR. J.C. JOHNS 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Department of Transportation 

DR. JONATHAN M. BERKSON 

United States Coast Guard 

Department of Homeland Security 

DR. DAVID R. REIDMILLER 

Department of State 

DR. ROHIT MATHUR 

Environmental Protection Agency 

MR EDWARD CONNOR 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Department of Homeland Security 

DR. RAMESH KAKAR 

National Aeronautics and Space 

 Administration 

DR. MICHAEL MORGAN 

National Science Foundation 

MR. DONALD E. EICK 

National Transportation Safety Board

MR. SCOTT FLANDERS 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

MR. MICHAEL F. BONADONNA, Secretariat 

Office of the Federal Coordinator for 

Meteorological Services and Supporting Research 
The Federal Plan for 

Meteorological 

Services and 

Supporting Research 

FISCAL YEAR 2014 

FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGICAL 

SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH 

8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1500 Silver Spring, MD 20910 

 301-427-2002 

FCM-P1-2013 Editor: Mr. Anthony Ramirez

October 2013 Assistant: Ms. Erin McNamara

WASHINGTON, D.C. Assistant: Mr. Kenneth Barnett

 

iii 

PREFACE 

Since 1965, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting 

Research (OFCM) has compiled a Federal Plan that articulates the provision of meteorological 

services and the support for meteorological and related research by agencies of the Federal 

government. This edition of the Federal Plan provides Congress and the Executive Branch with a 

comprehensive account of proposed programs for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and a review of agency 

programs in FY 2013. The Federal Plan's narratives, timelines, and schedules are current as of 

December 2013. 

Major OFCM activities during FY 2013 and 2014 fall in the areas of space weather, tropical 

cyclone research and operations, OFCM-led activities in response to the Consumer Option for an 

Alternative System to Allocate Losses (COASTAL) Act of 2012, research and development for 

multifunction phased array radar (MPAR), advanced modeling and data assimilation for 

prediction and forecasting, atmospheric transport and diffusion (ATD) modeling, unmanned 

aerial systems (UAS) for meteorological and related Earth observing applications, and the Next 

Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and Air Domain Awareness (ADA). For each 

of these priority areas, I will say a few words about what we were able to accomplish in FY 2013 

and what we have planned for the coming year. 

Space Weather. In February 2013, five member agencies of the OFCM-sponsored National Space 

Weather Program Council (NSWPC) agreed in an interagency Memorandum of Understanding to 

establish a Unified National Space Weather Capability (UNSWC), to more effectively implement 

planning, programming, budgeting, and execution of interagency initiatives aimed at achieving maximum 

efficiency and effectiveness in delivering space weather services, research, and technology to the 

agencies’ customers and stakeholders. These five entities are the Departments of Commerce, Defense, 

and the Interior; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and the National Science 

Foundation. In April 2013, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released to Congress its 

final version of a report developed and updated by the NSWPC with OFCM staff support: Space Weather 

Observing Systems: Current Capabilities and Requirements for the Next Decade. Again this year, the 

NSWPC hosted a highly successful Space Weather Enterprise Forum in June, to share information among 

Federal agency stakeholders and extend space weather education and outreach to a wider community. 

Tropical Cyclone Research and Operations. Ever since the OFCM was established, it has hosted the 

annual Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference, which brings the Federal agencies with mission 

responsibilities related to tropical storms and hurricanes together with representatives from user 

communities, including many State and local emergency managers. For our 67th IHC/Tropical Cyclone 

Research Forum, held in March 2013, more than half of the 255 registered attendees participated 

virtually. Results of a biannual research review were presented, and the broader tropical 

cyclone/hurricane community represented at the conference endorsed an action to conduct a midcourse 

assessment of the Tropical Cyclone Research Plan released by the OFCM in 2007. During FY 2014, 

OFCM’s Working Group for Tropical Cyclone Research will focus on completing this midcourse 

assessment. In the wake of the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012, the IHC 

participants also endorsed the need for research to improve storm surge modeling and predictions of 

inland flooding. Another action associated with the annual IHC, the update of the National Hurricane 

Operations Plan for the coming hurricane season, was released on May 1, 2013. 
iv 

Responding to the COASTAL Act. Closely allied with these hurricane-related activities are the OFCMled activities in response to the COASTAL Act. An OFCM joint action group developed the COASTAL 

Act Capabilities Development Plan and submitted it to the NOAA Administrator for review and approval 

on April 15, 2013. This joint action group also facilitated establishment, in June 2013, of the Coastal 

Wind and Wind-Water Event Database for the collection and compilation of “covered data” as required 

by the COASTAL Act. It is now working to implement the Named Storm Event Model during the first 

quarter of 2014. Also during 2014, the National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments: Weather and 

Water Data will be revised by the Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans: Weather 

and Water Data to include the new COASTAL Act Data Protocol. 

Advanced Modeling and Data Assimilation. The OFCM sponsors the Program Council for National 

Operational Processing Centers (PC/NOPC), which has been preparing to exploit expanded data available 

from the new R series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). The PC/NOPC 

will be the conduit for coordinating interagency inputs on GOES-R and Joint Polar Satellite System 

(JPSS) requirements, transition of modeling and data assimilation research into operations, and other 

operational issues that cut across multiple operational processing centers. The OFCM Committee for 

Operational Processing Centers, which reports to the PC/NOPC, approved a new Data Acquisition, 

Processing, and Exchange Memorandum of Agreement at its May meeting. Responding to an action item 

approved by the PC/NOPC, I will reestablish early in 2014 a Committee for Operational Environmental 

Satellites, which will now report to the PC/NOPC. This reestablished committee, along with the 

PC/NOPC, will provide a key venue for addressing policy and interagency challenges in coordinating and 

optimizing use of the new data streams from GOES-R and JPSS. 

Multifunction Phased Array Radar. The OFCM’s MPAR interagency initiative seeks to consolidate the 

radar surveillance missions of four agencies: the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce, and the 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the Department of Transportation, thereby reducing the 

number of radar systems required and consolidating operations and logistics. The timeline for MPAR 

development activities is now being set by the FAA’s NextGen Surveillance and Weather Radar 

Capability (NSWRC) program. An OFCM-sponsored MPAR working group hosted a NSWRC/MPAR 

Industry Day at FAA Headquarters in October 2012, and throughout FY 2013, the OFCM led an effort to 

explore ongoing NOAA involvement in NSWRC and MPAR. 

UAS for Environmental Observations. UAS hold great promise for cost-effective means of acquiring 

mesoscale and microscale observations of high-interest meteorological phenomena, including tropical and 

winter storms far out over the oceans, wildland fires, and post-storm impact assessments. The OFCM’s 

Joint Action Group for UAS for Environmental Modeling held its second meeting in February 2013; a 

third meeting is planned for early 2014 to revitalize activities after a difficult period of high personnel 

turnover during FY 2013. The OFCM also continues to support the OSTP Subcommittee for Unmanned 

Systems, providing connections between this element of the National Science and Technology Council 

structure and providers of meteorological research and services employing UAS, including the NOAA 

UAS Program and NASA’s Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel experiment. 

ATD Modeling. In June 2013, the OFCM again cosponsored a session within the annual George Mason 

University Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Modeling conference. As in recent years, this year’s 

special session assessed progress in governmental ATD modeling and response capabilities. The session’s 

panel discussion featured subject matter experts from across the Federal departmental entities whose 

missions depend on ATD modeling predictions. Over the coming year, I will to continue bring the results 

from this and prior ATD special sessions to the attention of the interagency community with ATD 

operational and research responsibilities. 
v 

Air Domain Awareness and NextGen. As the Department of Commerce/NOAA representative on the 

interagency Air Domain Awareness Board, I have worked for several years now to ensure that the 

Integrated Air Surveillance Concept of Operations recognizes NOAA’s role and capability to provide 

weather information and forecasts that can help minimize disruptions and other weather impacts on the 

National Airspace System. In addition, the OFCM is an active participant in the Air Surveillance Working 

Group. 

Fifty years ago in November 1963, the Bureau of the Budget issued Circular A-62, “Policies and 

Procedures for the Coordination of Federal Meteorological Services.” The following February, 

the Department of Commerce responded to Circular A-62 by establishing the Federal 

Coordinator position and a supporting staff function. We recently commemorated this halfcentury of notable innovation and success in interagency coordination in two ways. On 

November 13, the OFCM hosted a commemorative celebration at NOAA Headquarters. I was 

particularly delighted to have all of the living Federal Coordinators in attendance, including Dr. 

Robert M. White, whom we honored for his many contributions to the Nation, including service 

as the first Federal Coordinator and the first NOAA Administrator. Representatives from the 

FCMSSR member agencies and from the coordination infrastructure’s program councils, 

committees, and working groups attended. Congressman Chaka Fattah, ranking member of the 

House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, gave the opening 

address and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden gave the keynote address. 

Our second commemorative activity documented the history of OFCM and its coordination 

activities, including the challenges we face today and tomorrow, in a review released at the 

commemoration: The Federal Role in Meteorological Services and Supporting Research: A 

Half-Century of Multi-Agency Collaboration (FCM-17-2013, available at www.ofcm.gov). Both 

the record of the past half-century and the broad representation at the 50th Anniversary 

celebration underscore the vitality of the interagency coordination infrastructure and its 

continuing importance to achieving efficient and cost-effective improvements in meteorological 

products and services— including weather, water, and climate services—provided by the Federal 

agencies and their partners in the public and private sectors. I look forward to the next halfcentury of challenges and opportunities for the OFCM. With the Nation’s continued support, we 

will strive to surpass the remarkable record of achievement set during the OFCM’s first halfcentury. 

 

 Samuel P. Williamson 

 Federal Coordinator for Meteorological 

 Services and Supporting Research 
vi 

Table of Contents 

PREFACE.............................................................................................................iii 

SECTION 1 AGENCY FUNDING FOR METEOROLOGICAL OPERATIONS AND 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH .................................................................................................................. 1-1 

AGENCY BUDGET SUMMARIES..............................................................................1-1 

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE........................................................................1-1 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NATIONAL OCEANIC AND AMOSPHERIC 

ADMINISTRATION .......................................................................................................................... 1-2 

 National Weather Service ............................................................................................................. 1-2 

 National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services .............................................. 1-3 

 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research .............................................................................. 1-5 

 National Ocean Service ................................................................................................................. 1-6 

 Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ................................................................................... 1-6 

 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE .......................................................................................................... 1-7 

 U.S. Air Force/Air Force Weather Agency ................................................................................... 1-7 

 U.S. Navy ...................................................................................................................................... 1-9 

 U.S. Army ................................................................................................................................... 1-11 

 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY .............................................................................. 1-13 

 United States Coast Guard .......................................................................................................... 1-13 

 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR .............................................................................................. 1-14

 Bureau of Land Management ...................................................................................................... 1-14 

 National Park Service ................................................................................................................. 1-14 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................... 1-15 

 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................... 1-15 

 Federal Aviation Administration ................................................................................................ 1-15 

 Federal Highway Administration ................................................................................................ 1-15 

 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ............................................................................. 1-16 

 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION .............................................. 1-16 

 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ................................................................................. 1-18 

 

BUDGET TABLES 

 Table 1 Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research Costs by Agency ....................... 1-19 

Table 2 Operational Costs by Budget Category .......................................................................... 1-20 

Table 3 Supporting Research and Development Costs by Budget Category .............................. 1-20 

 Service Category Definitions ....................................................................................... 1-21 

Table 4 Operational Costs by Service Category ......................................................................... 1-23 

Table 5 Support Research and Development Costs by Service Category................................... 1-23 

Table 6 Personnel Engaged in Meteorological Operations ......................................................... 1-24 

Table 7 Interagency Fund Transfers ........................................................................................... 1-24 

Table 8 Facilities/Locations for Taking Meteorological Observations ....................................... 1-26 
vii 

SECTION 2: FEDERAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH 

PROGRAMS ......................................................................................................................................... 2-1 

FEDERAL COORDINATION AND PLANNING FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERICES AND 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH .................................................................................................................. 2-3 

STATUTORY BASIS FOR THE FEDERAL COORDINATION PROCESS ................................... 2-3 

 OFCM COORDINATING INFRASTRUCTURE .............................................................................. 2-4 

 OFCM HIGHLIGHTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013 AND PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014 ......... 2-6 

 Support for Plans and Analyses Mandated by the COASTAL Act of 2012 ................................. 2-6 

 National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations ............................................................................ 2-7 

 OFCM 50th Anniversary Retrospective and Commemoration ...................................................... 2-7 

 National Aviation Weather Program Council ............................................................................... 2-8

 National Operational Processing Centers Program Council ......................................................... 2-8 

 Committee for Operational Processing Centers ............................................................................ 2-9

 National Space Weather Program Council ................................................................................... 2-9 

 Executive Council for Multifunction Phased Array Radar ......................................................... 2-10 

 Committee for Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs ................................ 2-11 

 Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research and Interdepartmental 

 Hurricane Conference .................................................................................................... 2-11 

 Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans: Weather and Water Data ............................... 2-13 

 Urban Meteorology and Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion (ATD) R&D .............. 2-14 

 Committee for Integrated Observing Systems ............................................................................ 2-15 

 Unmanned Aerial Systems ............................................................................................. 2-16 

 Committee for Cooperative Research ......................................................................................... 2-17 

 Tropical Cyclone Research ............................................................................................ 2-17 

 Weather Information for Surface Transportation .......................................................... 2-17 

 Committee for Environmental Information Systems and Communications ............................... 2-17 

 Meteorological Codes .................................................................................................... 2-18 

 OFCM External Collaborations .................................................................................................. 2-18 

 NAS/NRC Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate ............................................. 2-18 

 NAS/NRC Space Science Board, Committee on Space and Solar Physics ................... 2-18 

 Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability ............................. 2-18 

 American Meteorological Society ................................................................................. 2-18 

 FY 2013 OFCM PUBLICATIONS ................................................................................................... 2-19 

BASIC SERVICES ................................................................................................................................ 2-21 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES .............................. 2-21 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................... 2-21 

 NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service ................................. 2-23 

 NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ..................................................................... 2-28 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Basic Meteorological Services ...................... 2-30 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ........................................................ 2-30 

 Interagency Collaborative Research Programs and Projects ...................................................... 2-30 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................... 2-33 
viii 

 NOAA/ National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service ................................ 2-34 

 NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research .............................................................. 2-35 

 NASA Supporting Research for Basic Meteorological Services ................................................ 2-42 

 National Science Foundation ...................................................................................................... 2-44 

AGRICULTURAL AND LAND MANAGEMENT METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES .............. 2-45 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES .............................. 2-45 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture .................................................................................................. 2-45 

 Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management................................................................ 2-49 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ........................................................ 2-50 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture .................................................................................................. 2-50 

AVIATION SERVICES ........................................................................................................................ 2-53 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES .............................. 2-53 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................... 2-53 

 Federal Aviation Administration ................................................................................................ 2-56 

 National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation ................................................................. 2-64 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ........................................................ 2-68 

 The National Airspace System of the Future .............................................................................. 2-68 

 Joint Planning and Development Office ........................................................................ 2-68 

 FAA NextGen Office ..................................................................................................... 2-69 

 FAA AWG and AWSD Roles in NextGen Transition .................................................. 2-69 

 The Reduce Weather Impact Portfolio .......................................................................... 2-70 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................... 2-71 

 NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ............................................................... 2-73 

Federal Aviation Administration ................................................................................................ 2-74 

CLIMATE SERVICES ......................................................................................................................... 2-81 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES .............................. 2-81 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................... 2-81 

 NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center ........................................................................ 2-82 

 NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ..................................................................... 2-83 

 United States Air Force ............................................................................................................... 2-84 

 United States Navy ..................................................................................................................... 2-84 

 United States Geological Survey ................................................................................................ 2-85 

 Department of State .................................................................................................................... 2-86 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ........................................................ 2-87 

 NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center ........................................................................ 2-87 

 NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ............................................................... 2-89 

 Laboratories and Programs ............................................................................................ 2-90 

 Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture ..................................... 2-95 

 United States Geological Survey ............................................................................................... 2-96 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ........................................................................ 2-98 

 Department of Energy/Office of Science .................................................................................. 2-102 
ix 

 National Science Foundation .................................................................................................... 2-107 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND HOMELAND SECURITY SERVICES .................................. 2-109 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-109 

 Federal Emergency Management Agency ................................................................................ 2-109 

 U.S. Coast Guard ...................................................................................................................... 2-110 

 Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center ................................................... 2-111 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-112 

 NOAA/National Ocean Service ................................................................................................ 2-113 

 NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ................................................................... 2-114 

 United States Air Force ............................................................................................................. 2-114 

 United States Navy ................................................................................................................... 2-114 

 U.S. Marine Corps .................................................................................................................... 2-116 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................. 2-116 

 Department of Energy ............................................................................................................... 2-117 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission .............................................................................................. 2-118 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-118 

 NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research/Air Resources Laboratory .................. 2-118 

 Department of Energy ............................................................................................................... 2-120 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission .............................................................................................. 2-120 

HYDROMETEOROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES SERVICES ........................................ 2-121 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-121 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-121 

 NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations ................................................................... 2-125 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture ................................................................................................ 2-125 

 U.S Army Corps of Engineers .................................................................................................. 2-127 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................. 2-127 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission .............................................................................................. 2-128 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-128 

 NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ............................................................. 2-128 

 Department of Agriculture ........................................................................................................ 2-130 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission .............................................................................................. 2-130 

MILITARY SERVICES ...................................................................................................................... 2-133 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-133 

 U.S. Air Force, Operational Organizations ............................................................................... 2-133 

 Air Force Products and Services .................................................................................. 2-137 

 U.S. Army, Weather Support Structure .................................................................................... 2-140 

 Army Products and Services ........................................................................................ 2-143 

 U.S. Navy, Operational Organizations...................................................................................... 2-143 

 Navy Products and Services ......................................................................................... 2-149 

 U.S. Marine Corps, METOC Service ....................................................................................... 2-154 

 Marine Corps Products and Services ........................................................................... 2-155 
x 

 U.S. Coast Guard ...................................................................................................................... 2-156 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-157 

 National Unified Operational Prediction Capability Research Partnering Initiative ................ 2-157 

 U.S. Air Force Supporting Research Programs and Projects .................................................... 2-157 

 U.S. Army Supporting Research Programs and Projects .......................................................... 2-159 

 U.S. Navy Supporting Research Programs and Projects........................................................... 2-163 

 

SPACE WEATHER SERVICES ........................................................................................................ 2-167

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-167 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-167 

 U.S. Air Force ........................................................................................................................... 2-168 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................. 2-170 

 Federal Emergency Management Agency ................................................................................ 2-171 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-177 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-171 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................. 2-172 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 2-173 

 Department of Energy ............................................................................................................... 2-173 

 National Science Foundation .................................................................................................... 2-174 

 U.S. Air Force ........................................................................................................................... 2-174 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ................................................................................. 2-177 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-177 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-177 

 NOAA/National Ocean Service ................................................................................................ 2-178 

 U.S. Coast Guard ...................................................................................................................... 2-181 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-181 

 DOT/Federal Highway Administration .................................................................................... 2-181

 DOT/Federal Railroad Administration ..................................................................................... 2-186 

 NOAA/National Ocean Service ................................................................................................ 2-186 

WILDLAND FIRE WEATHER SERVICES .................................................................................... 2-189 

 OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-189 

 Fire Weather Services in the National Coordination Structure for Wildland Fire 

 Management .............................................................................................................................. 2-189 

 NOAA/National Weather Service ............................................................................................. 2-191 

 USDA/U.S. Forest Service ....................................................................................................... 2-192 

 U.S. Geological Survey ............................................................................................................. 2-193 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-194 

 USDA/U.S. Forest Service ....................................................................................................... 2-194 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 2-195 

OTHER SPECIALIZED SERVICES ................................................................................................ 2-197 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ............................ 2-197 
xi 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 2-197 

 U.S. Air Force Space Launch Support ...................................................................................... 2-201 

 U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command ................................................................... 2-202 

 National Park Service/Fish and Wildfire Service ..................................................................... 2-203 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission .............................................................................................. 2-204 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ...................................................... 2-204 

 U.S. Army ................................................................................................................................. 2-204 

 National Park Service ............................................................................................................... 2-205 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 2-205 

 Environmental Protection Agency ............................................................................................ 2-208 

APPENDIX A - ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................... A-1 

 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-1 

SECTION 1 

AGENCY FUNDING FOR METEOROLOGICAL OPERATIONS 

AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH 

AGENCY BUDGET SUMMARIES 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) budget request for FY 2014 is $59.6 million and 99 full-time 

equivalent (FTE) employees for operations and supporting research, down 1 percent from the FY 2013 

funding level. The decrease in funding is mainly for meteorological operations, with only a slight 

increase in funding requested for research programs. USDA has requested $41.5 million for research 

and development programs, an increase of $.2 million) from 2013. Most of the funding increase is for 

the Forest Service (FS) in the area of Wildland Fire Weather. The research and development mission 

of the Forest Service is to develop and deliver knowledge and innovative technology to improve the 

health and use of the Nation’s forests and grasslands. Research at the Forest Service includes studies 

of the long-term effects of air pollution on forests and water resources. The Forest Service is also the 

world leader in developing emissions factors from fires and modeling its dispersion. For the National 

Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), there is a decrease in funding for Weather and Climate from 

FY 2013 through FY 2014 President’s Budget, due to the completion of some integrated mandatory 

programs and elimination and consolidation of other research programs funded with a Weather and 

Climate component. NIFA funding supports research projects that collect, analyze, and utilize short 

and long-term weather and climate data as a base of information for the projection and prediction of 

climatic trends related to environmental impacts on agro-ecosystems, forests, and rangelands and the 

development of adaptation and mitigation strategies for natural resources and production management. 

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the USDA’s principal in-house scientific research agency. 

ARS conducts research on how annual variation in weather adversely effects crop and animal 

production, hydrologic processes, the availability of water from watersheds, and the environmental and 

economic sustainability of agricultural enterprises. 

RESOURCE INFORMATION AND AGENCY PROGRAM UPDATES 

The narratives and tables in this section summarize the budgetary information for the Federal 

government for fiscal years (FY) 2013 and 2014. The funds shown are used to provide meteorological 

services and associated supporting research with service improvements as their immediate objectives. 

Fiscal data are current as of the end of September 2013 and are subject to later changes. The data for 

FY 2014 do not have legislative approval and do not constitute a commitment by the United States 

Government. The budget data are prepared in compliance with Section 304 of Public Law 87-843, in 

which Congress directed that an annual horizontal budget be prepared for meteorological programs 

conducted by the Federal agencies. 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-2 

The FY 2014 amount requested for meteorological operations is $18.1 million, down from the $18.9 

million funding level in FY 2013. Operational activities include specialized weather observing 

networks such as the SNOTEL (SNOw pack TELemetry) network operated by the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting program (SSWSF) and the 

Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) network managed by the Forest Service. The SNOTEL 

and RAWS networks provide cooperative data for NOAA’s river forecast activities, irrigation water 

supply estimates, and Bureau of Land Management operations. The SSWSF program, managed by the 

NRCS National Water and Climate Center, provides western states and Alaska with information on 

future water supplies. The Forest Service uses meteorological data and interpretation skills data for 

decision making regarding wildland fire management. The World Agricultural Outlook Board 

(WAOB) operates the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility (JAWF), a global agricultural weather and 

information center located in Washington, D.C. JAWF agricultural meteorologists operationally 

monitor global weather conditions and assess the impacts of growing season weather on crop and 

livestock production prospects. JAWF is actively involved in drought monitoring efforts in concert 

with the National Drought Mitigation Center. 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 

National Weather Service 

The National Weather Service (NWS) funding request for the FY 2014 President’s Budget totals $1.05 

billion and 4,546 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. This is a 7.5% increase over the FY 2013 

Spend Plan. Significant requested increases and decreases in funding over the FY 2013 program 

include the following: 

 Ground Readiness Project. NOAA requests $15.4 million to increase NWS information 

technology infrastructure capacity to ensure processing of the three-fold data volume increase 

expected from satellite and radar observations, and advanced weather prediction models 

coming online from FY 2014-2017. These data will be used to improve weather warnings and 

forecasts accuracy. 

 NWS Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG) Legacy Replacement. NOAA requests $15.0 

million to transform its Telecommunications Gateway and its backup into a modern, scalable, 

extensible, and reliable system. The Telecommunications Gateway is the hub for collection 

and transmission of hydrometeorological observations and products for NOAA’s customers. 

 Regional Enterprise Application Development and Integration Teams. NOAA requests a $9.8 

million reduction to reflect the significant efficiencies that can be achieved by transition to a 

new information technology service delivery model for the NWS forecast offices. NWS will 

create regionalized IT collaboration teams enabling higher consistency of service delivery with 

minimal impacts to NWS’ mission. NWS, through previous IT investments, now has the ability 

to fulfill much of the IT Officers responsibilities remotely.

 Labor and Operations. NOAA requests an increase of $22.9 million to fully fund labor and 

other operational costs. NWS requires this funding to maintain current level of services and 

ongoing operations necessary to issue warnings and forecasts to protect life and property. This 

increase provides funding to cover Weather Forecast Office staffing and other critical field 
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office labor and related costs. These positions directly provide meteorological and 

hydrological services to the American public.

 Expanding & Accelerating Weather Forecasting Research to Operations. NOAA requests 

$14.8 million to support the expansion and acceleration of research to operations (R2O) 

activities associated with improving weather forecasts through advancements to NOAA’s 

operational environmental prediction suite. Incorporation of targeted scientific developments 

and state-of-the-art technology into service delivery will address growing service demands for 

improved accuracy and uncertainty information. This improved information will allow 

stakeholders to better understand the likelihood of severe environmental events and improve 

their ability to effectively respond.

 Enhancement of Operational High Performance Computing System. NOAA requests $3.8 

million to enable the NWS operational weather supercomputer to become a competitive, world 

class system leading to enhanced accuracy of NOAA’s operational environmental prediction 

suite. Investment in additional operational weather supercomputer capacity will accommodate 

the growing demand for critical forecast products and will result in improved skill, uncertainty 

information, and specificity in operational numerical prediction guidance.

 Future Forecast Office Initiative. NOAA requests a $2.6 million reduction for Advanced 

Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) Technology Infusion. NWS will restructure 

its AWIPS program while re-prioritizing resources to fund the Future Forecast Office initiative. 

This initiative will reduce the time forecasters spend on the production of forecast products and 

information in order to spend more time supporting Impact-Based Decision Support Services. 

 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. NOAA’s National Weather Service received 

$97.3 million in funding of which $27.3 million will be used to update NWS’s Global Forecast 

System (GFS) model and other forecast systems and $25.2 million will be used to update 

NOAA’s operational computing systems. This additional computing capacity allows NOAA to 

run more sophisticated models and support longer lead time forecast with improved accuracy 

and specificity. 

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services 

The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS) funding request for 

the FY 2014 President’s Budget totals $2.19 billion and 825 FTE. This is a 17.2% increase over the 

FY 2013 Spend Plan. 

 

NESDIS is responsible for managing all aspects of remotely gathered environmental data. This 

includes procurement, launch, operation, product development, and product distribution of the 

Nation’s civil operational environmental satellites and corresponding data. In addition, NESDIS 

manages the NOAA environmental data collections, provides assessments that describe climate, and 

disseminates data and information to meet the needs of users in commerce, industry, agriculture, 

science, and engineering, as well as Federal, state, and local governments. 

Modifications to major systems acquisition programs for FY 2014 include the following:
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 Polar Operational Environmental Satellite Systems (POES). NOAA requests a decrease of 

$3.6 million for a total of $28.8 million. This one-time decrease will result in a one-year delay 

to POES IT hardware upgrades for the real-time satellite control and telemetry processing 

system (Polar Acquisition Control System). Due to the age of the current hardware, NOAA’s 

ability to meet security and operational requirements will be affected in FY 2014. In particular, 

the upgrade of the antenna tracking components (both electronic and mechanical) at Fairbanks 

Command & Data Acquisition Station will be impacted, and could result in multiple days of 

downtime, should the antenna fail in FY 2014. 

 Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). NOAA requests a decrease of $68.9 million for a total of 

$824 million. The request reflects a number of changes to the JPSS program, including the 

technical transfer of $62 million to the Polar Free Flyer program and budget line, a transfer of 

select climate sensors to NASA, a renewed focus on NOAA’s weather mission, and program 

management and operational efficiencies. The 2014 Budget refocuses the JPSS program on 

NOAA’s core weather mission to strengthen the likelihood of mission success and to ensure the 

National Weather Service receives polar weather satellite observations in a timely manner. The 

2013 Budget proposed a life cycle cost estimate of $12.9 billion through 2028. With this 

request, NOAA proposes a new lifecycle cost (LCC) of $11.3 billion or less through 2025 

(JPSS-2 development and launch is accelerated to increase robustness of the constellation). 

$366 million of the reduction in life-cycle cost is due to moving select climate sensor 

responsibilities to NASA and $335 million if due to the transfer of the program content to the 

Polar Free Flyer Program.

 Jason-3. NOAA requests an increase of $17.2 million for a total of $37.0 million to continue 

the development of the Jason-3 satellite in partnership with EUMETSAT and CNES, NOAA’s 

European and French partners. Jason-3 will provide continuity of precise measurement of sea 

surface heights for applications in ocean climatology and ocean weather. Jason-type satellite 

altimetry is the only proven technique for monitoring global sea-level rise—a key indicator of 

climate change. Jason-2 continues the systematic collection of sea-level observations initiated 

by TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992. The Jason-3 satellite will be functionally equivalent to the Jason2 satellite.

 GOES-N. NOAA requests a decrease of $6.3 million for a total of $ 26.948 million for the 

GOES-N Series program. This one-time decrease will result in a one-year delay to the planned 

upgrade of the real-time satellite control and telemetry processing system. Due to the age of 

the current hardware, there is a moderate risk that in FY 2014 cascading hardware failures 

would reduce performance to as low as 96%of data delivered within the specified time. This 

would impact the ability of users, such as the NWS, to reliably access GOES-N data within 15 

minutes.

 GOES-R. NOAA requests an increase of $335.9 million for a total of $954.8 million to 

continue satellite engineering development and production activities for the GOES-R Series 

Program. The GOES-R series will incorporate new instruments with increased capability over 

the incumbent GOES-N series and will improve its ground system, which will provide better 

data products for NWS and other NOAA stakeholders.
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 Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). NOAA requests a decrease of $6.3 million in 

FY 2014 for a total of $23.7 million to complete the refurbishment of the DSCOVR satellite 

and sensors for solar wind observations, and to deliver the spacecraft for a United States Air 

Force (USAF) launch. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), under a reimbursable 

agreement, will complete the refurbishment of DSCOVR, which is currently housed at GSFC 

in Greenbelt, Maryland. FY 2014 funds are necessary to complete the development of the data 

processing and archive systems, ship the satellite to its launch site, process its payload, and 

begin satellite operations and data processing operations after the U.S. Air Force launch. 

 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013. NESDIS received $27.1M to sustain and improve 

the quality, availability, and timeliness of satellite observations; to improve NOAA's high 

performance computing test environment for numerical weather prediction; and to build 

seamless digital elevation models along the coastline impacted by Hurricane Sandy. 

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) request for funding related to meteorological 

supporting research in the FY 2014 President’s Budget totals $142 million and 461 FTE. This is a 

25.8% increase over the FY 2013 Spend Plan. 

Requested FY 2014 funding for Weather and Air Chemistry Research (W&ACR), including 

Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes and Weather and Air Chemistry Research Programs is $81.6 

million. This amount represents a net increase of $17.1 million or 27% from the FY 2013 Spend Plan. 

Increases of $17.1 million would be spread across the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, 

Cooperative Institutes, MPAR, and U.S. Weather Research Program. OAR’s Weather and Air 

Chemistry Research supports R&D that provides the Nation with more accurate and timely warnings 

and forecasts of high impact weather events and their broader impact on issues of societal concern such 

as weather and air quality; and supports research that provides the scientific basis for informed 

management decisions about weather, water, and air quality. 

Requested FY 2014 funding for Climate Labs and Cooperative Institutes is $65.1 million. This amount 

represents a net increase of $ 15.4 million or 24% from the FY 2013 Spend Plan. These funds will go 

toward research activities that will help to gain a comprehensive understanding of the physical, 

chemical, and dynamical processes that shape our climate. OAR’s Laboratories and Cooperative 

Institutes are central to the effort of the climate research community to improve that understanding, to 

test our understanding through the development of state-of-the-art Earth System Models, and then to 

use those models to predict the future state of the climate. Observations of the Earth system and their 

analysis underpin the efforts that form the scientific basis for Climate Research. 

OAR also received $74.8 million of Disaster Relief Appropriations Act funding, $50.3 million which 

will fund the assessment of risks associated with storms and flooding, provide technical assistance to 

improve preparedness and resiliency in coastal communities, improve forecast and modeling 

capabilities to support mitigation efforts, and stabilize and restore ecosystems. $24.5 million will allow 

NOAA to obtain high performance computer capacity as well as augment the current R&D HPC 

system with the purpose of improving global weather assimilation and modeling systems. 
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National Ocean Service 

The National Ocean Service (NOS) request for funding related to meteorological supporting research 

in the FY 2014 President’s Budget totals $31.8 million and 119 FTE. These funds allow for expanded 

operation of the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), and continued operation of 

the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) program, the data quality control program 

known as the Continuous Operational Real-time Monitoring System (CORMS), and the Ocean 

Systems Test and Evaluation Program (OSTEP), which is a development program for bringing new 

sensor technology into operations. Both the NWLON and PORTS® programs include subsets of 

operational water level stations with meteorological sensors installed for various partners and users, 

including the NWS. This is a 17.5% increase over the FY 2013 Spend Plan. 

Though traditionally an oceanographic observing system, NWLON technology allows multiple other 

sensors to be added, including meteorological sensors such as wind speed/direction/gusts, air 

temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure. Additionally, NOS has two NWLON stations 

with operational visibility sensors, in Mobile Bay, AL and San Francisco Bay, CA. These 

meteorological observations provide important data for improving and verifying marine weather 

forecasts and warnings. NOS has upgraded and enhanced the majority of its NWLON stations with 

new meteorological sensors. This increase in meteorological observations has led to a 10% increase in 

the probability of detection of marine weather events and a ten minute increase in lead times for 

marine warnings, according to actual verification data for special marine warnings (WFO Sterling). 

Navigation data users require a complete picture of their operating environment to make the best safety 

and efficiency decisions, and local meteorological data is a part of that picture. Leveraging existing 

observing infrastructure is a cost-effective alternative to establishing new platforms to collect these 

data. The additional meteorological data improves the accuracy of NWS forecasts for storm surge, 

marine wind speed, and marine wave heights, used by both the marine navigation and coastal 

communities when extreme weather events occur. The real-time data can be used by emergency 

responders to make sound decisions based upon the most up to date and accurate information. For 

example, when coastal areas are flooding, emergency responders must know which evacuation routes 

are still viable and other information which gives a good understanding of the current state of the 

physical environment. 

In FY 2013, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act provided $3.0 million to NOS’ Center for 

Operational Oceanographic Products and Services in order to repair and rebuild NWLON and 

PORTS® stations which were damaged by the storm.

Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

The FY 2014 President’s Budget requests $31.5 million and 104 FTE for the Office of Marine and 

Aviation Operations (OMAO) Aircraft Operations. This is an 11.7% increase over the FY 2013 Spend 

Plan. OMAO supports meteorological operations and research activities by collection of related data 

from ships and aircraft. The fleet of aircraft support NOAA’s mission of science, service, and 

stewardship. The aircraft operate throughout the United States and around the world; over open oceans, 

mountains, coastal wetlands, and the Arctic. OMAO provides capable, mission-ready aircraft and 

professional crews to study global climate change and air quality, assess marine mammal populations, 

survey coastal erosion, investigate oil spills, conduct coastal mapping, survey snowpack levels for 
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flood prediction, and improve hurricane prediction models. AOC flight crews operate in some of the 

world’s most demanding flight regimes including flying into the eye of a hurricane. 

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 provides OMAO with $42.3 million to fund the service 

life extension for both of its P-3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft. These aircraft require new wings and 

engine and avionics upgrades in order for these valuable data-gathering flights to continue safely. The 

specially equipped NOAA aircraft play an integral role in hurricane forecasting. Data collected during 

hurricanes by these high-flying meteorological stations and from a variety of other sources are fed into 

numerical computer models to help forecasters predict how intense a hurricane will be, and when and 

where it will make landfall. These computer models fulfill two important purposes: to help forecasters 

make accurate predictions during a hurricane; and to help hurricane researchers achieve a better 

understanding of storm processes, thereby improving their forecast models. 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

U.S. Air Force/Air Force Weather Agency 

U.S. Air Force (USAF) resources for meteorological support fall into two primary categories: general 

operations and investment and research. The total Air Force Weather (AFW) operations and research 

funding requested for FY 2014 is $136.8 million and 3208 personnel authorizations. Additionally, the 

USAF provides resources for space-based environmental monitoring development and operations 

managed by Air Force Space Command, including the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program 

(DMSP) and the Space Situational Awareness Environmental Monitoring (SSAEM). 

Operations 

The operations support portion of AFW’s FY 2014 budget is $112.2 million and funds day-to-day 

environmental support to the Department of Defense (DoD), the Active and Reserve Components of 

the Air Force and Army, 10 unified commands, and other agencies as directed by the Chief of Staff of 

the Air Force. AFW employs over 3,655 military and civilian personnel to conduct these activities at 

more than 250 locations worldwide. Approximately 85 percent of personnel specialize in weather; the 

remainder includes communications, computer, information technology, program management, 

program analysis, administrative, and logistics specialists. 

Supporting Research 

The total Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) budget for meteorological-related research during FY 

2014 is $24.7 million. As part of AF Smart Operations 21st Century (AFSO21), AFW is investing in 

modernized environmental prediction technologies and global information grid technologies that 

enhance automation and save resources. In addition, AFW is investing in the following efforts in FY 

2014 and beyond: 

 Joint Environmental Toolkit (JET). JET will eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies in 

current systems by extending, consolidating, and/or replacing the Operational Weather 

Squadron (OWS) Production System-Phase II (OPS II), the New-Tactical Forecast System (NTFS), and the weather effects decision aids portion of the Integrated Meteorological System 

(IMETS). JET also provides software components for the Defense Common Ground System – 
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1-8 

Army (DCGS-A). 

 Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. WRF advances, as well as WRF-Chem (taking 

into account chemical constituents), such as with the Land Information System (LIS—a 

collaborative effort with NASA) and WRF coupling, will improve forecasting performance in 

the low levels of the atmosphere. This will allow AFW forces to provide better battlespace 

characterization for missions that include, but are not limited to, low-level aircraft operations, 

the dispersion of aerosol contaminants, and the employment of precision-guided munitions. It 

also allows for assessment of trafficability for ground forces. 

 Modernizing space weather capabilities. Collaboration with U.S. and Allied government and 

civilian agencies, along with ground-based sensing modernization, will result in a robust 

sensing capability for space weather. 

 Cloud Depiction and Forecasting System (CDFS) II improvements. Improving CDFS 

techniques by increasing the resolution, integrating available satellite (to include nontraditional METSAT) into the cloud analysis, using a new cloud interpretation and assimilation 

schema, incorporating cloud optical properties, and blending numerical weather prediction with 

forecast cloud advection techniques will ensure the AF continues as a center of excellence in 

cloud analysis and forecasting. MARK IVB data integration into cloud models will be 

expanded. 

 Tactical Decision Aids (TDA). TDAs provide warfighters an automated way to “visualize” 

environmental impacts on operations. These tools continue to be integrated into AF and joint 

service command and control (C2) systems (e.g., mission planning systems) including Target 

Acquisition Weapons Software (TAWS), Infrared Target Scene Simulation (IRTSS), and TriService Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (T-IWEDA). 

 Weather Data Analysis (WDA). WDA will provide many of the behind-the-scene tools at the 

weather production centers necessary for processing NPOESS Preparatory Project sensor and 

environmental data for AF and Navy exploitation for military operations and enabling JET to 

provide decision-quality products and information to warfighters. 

 Air Force Weather Ensemble Prediction Suite (AFWEPS). AFWEPS output, at both the 

mesoscale and global scale, will provide better meteorological intelligence for the warfighter 

by objectively quantifying the forecast certainty of mission-impacting meteorological 

parameters to optimize operational risk management for all echelons of decision making. It 

will provide probabilistic algorithms for high-impact variables and to quantify biases, enabling 

concise, focused products. 

The goals of these efforts are to provide accurate, relevant, and timely meteorological intelligence to 

warfighters at all levels of operations quicker and more consistently than ever before, within the 

decision cycle and in a manner that facilitates exploitation of the current and forecasted environmental 

conditions. 

While these all work synergistically to provide warfighters a quantum leap in capability, JET is the 
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most visible piece to decision makers. JET will exploit data contained in the Virtual Joint 

Meteorological Oceanographic (METOC) Database via common-user communications, integrate with 

joint and coalition command and control and mission planning systems, and provide the machine-tomachine data exchange for assimilating METOC and C4ISR data to meet operational and tactical 

mission planning and execution requirements. 

U.S. Navy 

The U.S. Navy funding request for FY 2014 is $113.3 million and 415 Navy and 370 Marine Corps 

personnel authorizations. This includes $99.1 million for operations and $14.2 million for support 

enabling research. The FY 2013 budget allocation for meteorological programs was $84.5 million, 

made up of $74.7 million for operations and $9.8 million to support enabling research. 

Naval Oceanography Program 

The Chief of Naval Operations, through the Oceanographer of the Navy, sponsors operational Navy 

METOC services and related research and development. In 2014, the Oceanographer of the Navy will 

receive funding to develop and field the meteorology and oceanography component of the Oceans 

Observing System modeling and assessment capability. 

The Navy provides meteorological services for Navy and joint forces, meteorological products to the 

Marine Corps, and oceanographic support to all elements of the Department of Defense, as well as to 

allied and Coalition partners. The Navy sponsors programs in five closely related disciplines: 

meteorology, oceanography, space, maritime domain awareness, and positioning, navigation, and 

timing (PNT). All are used to protect ships, aircraft, fighting personnel, other platforms (manned and 

unmanned), and shore establishments from adverse ocean and weather conditions, and to provide a 

decisive tactical or strategic edge by exploiting the physical environment to optimize the performance 

and efficiency of platforms, sensors, and weapons. The Oceanographer of the Navy is also the 

Director of Oceanography, Space, and Maritime Domain Awareness for the Navy. Naval METOC 

personnel (Navy and Marine Corps) are required to provide intelligence preparation of the operational 

environment (IPOE) for decision makers by assessing the impact of atmospheric and ocean phenomena 

on platforms, sensors, and weapon systems. Navy and Marine Corps METOC personnel provide for 

safe space, aviation, surface, and submerged movement, maneuver, and navigation in support of naval, 

joint, and combined forces, operating around the globe. This is done with a cadre of highly trained 

military and civilian personnel, educated in both sciences and warfighting services. By teaming with 

and leveraging the efforts of other agencies and activities, the Naval Oceanography Program (NOP) 

meets these challenges in a cost-effective manner, providing a full spectrum of products and services to 

provide decision makers in the field with environmental decision superiority while using only a small 

percentage of the Federal weather budget. Two high-profile elements of the NOP, Battlespace on 

Demand and Littoral Battlespace Sensing, are discussed in Section 2, in the subsection of Military 

Services on Navy Products and Services. 

Operational Support 

Naval METOC provides a wide array of essential tactical, operational and strategic METOC products 

and services to operating forces afloat and ashore. These services include collecting and processing 
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environmental data using resources such as oceanographic ships, aircraft, satellites, and computing 

systems. These products and services enhance the performance of active and passive sensor and 

weapon systems; optimize the effectiveness of the sea control mission for mine countermeasures; and 

identify the environmental effects that influence the performance of fixed and mobile warfare systems 

and tactics. General and tailored oceanographic, acoustic, and meteorological forecasts are provided 

daily to fleet commanders and individual operating units from the Meteorology and Oceanography 

Command’s numerical modeling and forecasting centers and from forecasting support activities 

located worldwide. Funding primarily supports national security interests and also benefits maritime 

commerce. Operational support for the Navy and Marine Corps includes the day-to-day provision of 

METOC products and services. As naval operations in the littoral increase, Naval METOC support is 

directed towards providing on-scene capabilities to personnel that directly furnish environmental data 

for sensor, weapon system, and personnel planning and employment. These on-scene capabilities are 

key elements for enabling the Warfighters to take advantage of the natural environment as part of 

battlespace management. Owing to the crucial interrelationship of the ocean and the atmosphere, 

Naval METOC requires various oceanographic products to provide the requisite meteorological 

services. In addition to aviation and maritime METOC support, Navy and Marine Corps METOC 

teams provide a variety of unique services on demand, such as electro-optical, electro-magnetic, and 

acoustic propagation models and products, METOC-sensitive tactical decision aids, and global sea ice 

analyses and forecasts. 

Systems Acquisition. Naval METOC systems acquisition is accomplished through the Program 

Executive Office for Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence and Space (C4I 

and Space) in San Diego, California. This funds new and replacement meteorological equipment for 

all Navy and Marine Corps Air Stations, all Navy ships, USMC Operational Forces units, and other 

activities required to provide weather observations and provide safety of flight capabilities. The 

procurement has been thoroughly coordinated with other DoD and civilian agencies. Program also 

funds replacement of Survey Vessel shipboard mission equipment, deep and multibeam SONARs, Side 

Scan SONARs, Hydrographic Survey Launches, Ship Moving Vessel Profilers, Unmanned Under 

Water Gliders, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. The Oceanographer of the Navy also funded, 

two new research vessels through its SCN, to be operated by civilian research institutions in 

coordination with the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). 

Navy Integrated Tactical Environmental System (NITES-Fielded, NITES-Next). The Navy operates 

a distributed model in support of tactical weather prediction. Each NITES is a set of meteorology and 

oceanography forecast, database, and decision-aid tools tailored for specific platforms and users. Five 

variants exist to support a variety of operators and platforms. NITES-Fielded is a tactical 

environmental support system that collectively refers to all five variants. The Distributed Atmospheric 

Modeling Prediction System (DAMPS) allows users to ingest high-resolution data and on-scene 

observations into regional and global model information received from the Fleet Numerical 

Meteorology and Oceanography Center. The result is an on-scene weather model that provides 

accurate weather predictions for an operating area within a 24-hour time frame. 

The Navy is developing a follow-on system, called NITES–Next, to increase the capabilities for 

ashore, afloat, and mobile METOC support to naval tactical operations and to be net-centric and 

interoperable with the other services. NITES–Next will be a software-only solution and compliant 

with the DoD Global Information Grid and Navy FORCEnet architectures. The Navy is coordinating 

with the Air Force to efficiently and effectively leverage the Air Force’s Joint Environmental Toolkit 
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(JET) Program to eliminate unnecessary duplication and build a System of Systems to support all joint 

Warfighters and peace-keeping missions, including homeland defense. 

Through-the-Sensor (TTS) Capabilities. The Hazardous Weather Detection and Display Capability 

(HWDDC) and Tactical Environmental Processor (TEP) are TTS technologies which will passively tap 

Navy air-search radars to obtain and display hazardous weather information. The HWDDC and TEP 

systems will be based off common modular weather processing algorithms and will have similar data 

product and display capabilities. Essentially, they represent one common set of processing algorithms 

applied to two different radars. The differences in capabilities supported by the systems are driven by 

the differences in the individual radars. 

The HWDDC will be integrated into the baseline AN/SPS-48G air-search radar, allowing it to extract 

and display reflectivity data. The HWDDC addresses a long-standing fleet requirement for real-time 

hazardous weather detection/display to support safety of flight and operations planning within Carrier 

and Expeditionary Strike Groups. The knowledge of hazardous weather conditions afloat greatly 

enhances readiness and combat posture. 

Research and Development 

Naval METOC R&D is cooperatively sponsored by the Oceanographer/Navigator of the Navy and the 

Chief of Naval Research. This program enables the Warfighters of the future to effectively carry out 

their mission by transitioning to operational use research performed by the Office of Naval Research. 

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command is the primary office responsible for transitioning 

Naval research to operational use. All research and development funded by the Oceanographer of the 

Navy is in direct support of the Naval mission. 

Naval Research and Development (R&D) efforts typically have applications to meteorological, 

oceanographic, and/or tactical systems. The Navy’s tabulation of budget data includes R&D funding 

for basic research, applied research, demonstration and validation, and engineering and manufacturing 

development. Projects initiated by the Navy and Marine Corps, under sponsorship of the 

Oceanographer/Navigator of the Navy, transition from engineering development to operational naval 

systems. Such efforts include advances in Naval METOC forecasting capabilities, enhancements to 

communications and data compression techniques, further development and improvement of models to 

better predict METOC parameters in littoral regions, and an improved understanding of the impact 

these parameters have on sensors, weapons systems, and platform performance. 

The Naval METOC community works closely with research developers and operational forces to 

ensure that naval and Joint Force commanders will always have the most accurate, timely, and georeferenced METOC information available for successful operations. 

United States Army 

The U.S. Army (USA) estimates a $30.9 million requirement and 65 personnel authorizations for FY 

2014 consisting of $14.1 million for operational support and $16.8 million for research and 

development. Funding for operational support decreased by 41 percent, and research and development 

increased by 18 percent for FY 2014. The majority of the 41 percent decrease in requested 2014 
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operational funding falls in the Artillery’s Profiler Program, which requested more than $12 million in 

FY 2013 for fielding of the Artillery’s Profiler Block III systems. Staffing levels remain unchanged. 

Army monies for meteorology are spent on research and development related to the Army mission; the 

development, production, and maintenance of Army meteorological systems; staff meteorological 

functions at selected headquarters; and weather-related training at the Training and Doctrine Command 

(TRADOC) schools and centers. 

Headquarters, Department of the Army, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, employs two full-time meteorologists for the coordination of meteorological support within the Department of the Army and 

with other DoD and Federal Agencies and organizations, and the development of Department of the 

Army policy concerning weather, environmental services, and oceanographic support to the Army (not 

to include those environmental services functions assigned to the Corps of Engineers). The United 

States Air Force provides one full-time staff weather officer to serve as a liaison between the AF and 

the Army Staff. Headquarters, U.S. Army North employs one civilian meteorologist to address 

meteorological issues at its headquarters. Forces Command, U.S. Army Europe, Eighth U.S. Army, 

U.S. Army Pacific, and U.S. Army South have Air Force Active Component, Reserve Component, 

civilian, or contract meteorologists who conduct meteorological staff services at these locations. 

TRADOC employs both Army and Air Force personnel to manage its meteorological-related activities. 

As part of the TRADOC weather support structure, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence 

(USAICoE) employs one meteorologist to manage weather capabilities development efforts, and two 

Air Force weather specialists assist in this management effort. The two AF specialists also oversee 

USAICoE’s combined Army/Air Force Battlefield Weather Course (3 weeks of instruction) held at Ft. 

Huachuca, AZ. TRADOC employs one meteorologist to oversee the Distributed Common Ground 

System-Army (DCGS-A) weather initiatives and objectives. DCGS-A is the Army’s intelligence, 

surveillance, and reconnaissance enterprise for the analysis and processing, exploitation, and 

dissemination of information and intelligence data, including weather, across all echelons. Weather 

equipment maintenance and training costs at the Artillery school accounted for the majority of 

weather-related expenditures within TRADOC. Funds were programmed for operations support 

related to training development, instructor/support personnel, logistics (expendable supplies), and 

repair costs for artillery meteorological systems at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS). 

Replacing weather balloons with a computer modeled solution for winds aloft has greatly reduced the 

amount of monies needed for the operation and costs related to sounding expendables. 

The Army requested additional 2014 procurement funds for the completion of Computer 

Meteorological Data-Profiler (CMD-P) AN/GMK-2 NET/Fielding that was initiated in 2013. The 

Army requested 2014 RDT&E funds for the Profiler Virtual Module (PVM). PVM is a product 

improvement to the CMD-P AN/GMK-2. The product improvement includes changing the weather 

model from the Mesoscale Model 5 to the Weather Research Forecast model and changing the 

software to be Common Operating Environment compliant. 

The Corps of Engineers (COE) funds NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) to collect and maintain 

precipitation information from 876 meteorological sites. The COE funds the NWS for hydrometeorological studies and funds the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for maintaining hydro-
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meteorological data collection services for 2479 sites. The remainder of the sites are maintained by the 

COE. 

U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army Pacific maintain a small budget to fund Army-owned automated 

weather-sensing systems within their respective areas of responsibility. 

Elsewhere in the Army, budgets for meteorological research do not change significantly from FY 2013 

to FY 2014. Within the Army Materiel Command/Research Development & Engineering Command, 

the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) continued its research and development efforts in basic and 

applied atmospheric science. ARL anticipates no significant change in funding from FY 2013 to FY 

2014. The Army Test and Evaluation Command’s meteorology program budget in FY 2014 will be 

nearly unchanged from the original FY 2013 budget. The High Performance Computing 

Modernization Office has awarded ATEC a 2014 Designated Support Partition, a large allocation of 

computer resources at the Navy’s DoD Supercomputing Research Center at Stennis Space Center, for 

extension of the ensemble version of the Four-Dimensional Weather (4DWX) weather modeling 

system currently in operations at Dugway Proving Ground, to all the ATEC test ranges. 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

U.S. Coast Guard 

All of the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) funding for meteorological programs is for operations support. 

For FY 2014, the requested funding level is $29.7 million and 108 personnel authorizations. The Coast 

Guard does not have a specific program and budget for meteorology—all meteorological activities are 

accomplished as part of general operations. The USCG does not track meteorological costs at an 

organizational level, so the funding level is an estimate. The Coast Guard’s activities include the 

collection and dissemination of meteorological and iceberg warning information for the benefit of the 

marine community. The Coast Guard also collects coastal and marine observations from its shore 

stations and cutters and transmits these observations daily to the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology 

and Oceanography Center and NOAA’s National Weather Service. These observations are used by 

both the Navy and NOAA in generating weather forecasts. 

The Coast Guard also disseminates a variety of weather forecast products and warnings to the marine 

community via radio transmissions. Coast Guard shore stations often serve as sites for NWS automated 

coastal weather stations, and the National Data Buoy Center provides logistics support in deploying 

and maintaining NOAA offshore weather buoys from Coast Guard cutters. The International Ice Patrol 

conducts iceberg surveillance operations and provides warnings to mariners on the presence of 

icebergs in the North Atlantic shipping lanes. Coast Guard efforts in meteorological operations and 

services have not changed significantly during recent years 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-14 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requested funding for FY 2014 is $4.5 million and 42 FTE, a 

2% increase from FY 2013. The BLM funds two principal programs—the soil, water, and air (SWA) 

program and the fire weather activities of the Office of Fire and Aviation (OFA). 

Soil Water and Air Program (SWA). SWA requested funding for FY 2014 is estimated at $1.45 

million and 10 FTE, a 6.6% increase from FY2013. When existing monitoring networks are not 

sufficient to meet the needs for air-resource-related information, the BLM, within the SWA program, 

initiates efforts to collect additional data through cooperative efforts with other agencies or with 

resource management staff in state and field offices. The FY 2014 total includes $410,000 to collect 

meteorological data and operate RAWS stations equipped with additional instruments to measure soil 

moisture and winter precipitation not required for fire monitoring; $140,000 to maintain eight stations 

in the NRCS SCAN network; $65,000 to operate six NADP sites; $885,000 on other efforts such as 

downscaling climate models and assessing the response of aquatic ecosystems to reduced groundwater 

discharge from climate change impacts; and $600,000 for labor and logistics to support climate and 

weather data collection efforts by BLM resource management staff. 

Office of Fire and Aviation Program (OFA). OFA requested funding for FY 2014 is estimated at $3.1 

million and 32 FTE, no change FY2013. This represents BLM support for meteorologists at the 

National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) and other Geographic Area Coordination Centers 

(GACC) and BLM support of the Interagency Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) network. 

An additional $922,000 is generally recovered through reimbursable accounts with non-Department of 

Interior (DOI) agencies for RAWS support. Funded activities related to the RAWS network include 

maintenance, travel, transportation, services, supplies, and equipment. Some agencies incur additional 

costs in support of the RAWS network through commercially contracted maintenance services. 

The interagency RAWS network is an important tool for wildland fire management which directly 

supports the protection of life and property. All affected Federal agencies within DOI participate in its 

acquisition, operation, and support. The BLM, in particular, has a lead role in the maintenance of the 

RAWS network, providing both data distribution services and equipment support. Participating 

agencies address common issues and coordinate efforts to ensure the collection of accurate and useful 

fire weather data. 

Under the Predictive Services Program, meteorologists who specialize in fire weather services team 

with intelligence specialists and wildland fire analysts at the GACCs and the NICC to form Predictive 

Services units. The Predictive Services units act as centers of expertise to produce integrated planning 

and decision-support tools that enable more proactive, safe, and cost-effective fire management. 

National Park Service 

The National Park Service (NPS) FY2104 budget request is approximately $2.5 million, a 16.7% 

decrease. The NPS expends about $1.0 million on atmospheric research with a focus on measurements 

of all forms of atmospheric reactive nitrogen and on aerosol science. The goal of this research is to 

identify the sources of air pollution that are affecting park ecosystems and visibility and to quantify 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-15 

their impacts. The NPS also expends approximately $1.5 million in routine air quality, visibility, and 

meteorological monitoring networks. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

The U.S. Geological Survey requests and expends approximately $66,000 per year conducting postwildfire debris flow warning operations. 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

For FY 2014, the FAA is requesting a total of $495 million and 1153 FTE for Aviation Weather 

related Facilities and Equipment, Operations Support, and Recurring Research and Development costs; 

an approximate 10% increase from FY 2013 actual funding received. The actual funding for the 

Aviation Weather Programs in FY 2013 was $450 million. The changes are comprised of: 

 An increase in reported numbers for Facilities and Equipment from an actually received $41 

million in FY 2013 to a requested $78 million in FY 2014 

 A decrease in reported numbers for recurring Research and Development from an actually 

received $20 million in FY 2013 to a requested $19 million in FY 2014 

 An increase in reported numbers for Operations Support from an actually received $389 million 

in FY 2013 to a requested $398 million in FY 2014 

The funding changes reflect major initiatives in the Aviation Weather programs to support the Next 

Generation (NextGen) National Air Transportation System. These changes will bring enhancements, 

including the dissemination of weather products and decision-making information. 

United States (U.S.) Code Title 49 Section 44720 (49 U.S.C. 44720) designates the FAA as the 

Meteorological Authority for domestic and international aviation weather services of the U.S. In this 

capacity, the FAA provides requirements for the administration of aviation weather services to the 

National Weather Service (NWS). The FAA is responsible for ensuring compliance with these services 

and with maintaining International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended 

Practices as specified in Annex 3-Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation.

Federal Highway Administration 

The latest transportation authorization allocates $100 million for the Intelligent Transportation Systems 

(ITS) Research Program. Of this, for FY 2014, the Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) has 

budgeted $4.0 million. All of RWMP’s funding is for applied research. The majority of RWMP 

activity involves software development and studies under the research and development category to 

develop decision-support systems that integrate high-resolution road weather products with 

transportation-oriented management strategies. 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-16 

Due to the extended time for road construction projects, the Department of Transportation does not go 

through an annual budget process but typically uses a six-year authorization. The latest transportation 

authorization did not appropriate funds specifically for the RWMP. However, for FY 2013, the 

RWMP has been using funds carried over from FY 2012, which were appropriated in the previous 

transportation bill. 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

The anticipated funding level in FY 2014 for directed meteorological research is about $6.5 million, a 

9.7% decrease from FY 2013. All of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) funding of 

meteorological and air quality programs is for supporting basic and applied research. 

Continued attention is being paid to the effects of airborne toxins and fine particulate matter on human 

health, on the effect of climate change on air quality, and the impact of air pollution on human health 

and sensitive ecosystems. In addition, to promote excellence in environmental science and engineering, 

the EPA supports a national research grants program for investigator-initiated research. The funding 

for grants (with reliance on quality science and peer review) and for graduate fellowships (to support 

the education and careers of future scientists) will provide for a more balanced, long-term capital 

investment in improved environmental research and development. The funding for the grants program 

in FY 2014 is anticipated to be less than that in FY 2013. 

The EPA’s Research Grants Program will fund research in areas, including ecological assessment, air 

quality, environmental fate and treatment of toxins and hazardous wastes, effects of global climate 

change on air quality, and exploratory research. The portion of these grants that will be awarded for 

meteorological research during FY 2014 cannot be foreseen, but it is probable that the grant awards 

will increase the base amount of $6.5 million listed above for directed meteorological research. 

The EPA continues its development and evaluation of air quality models for air pollutants on all 

temporal and spatial scales as mandated by the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990. Research will focus 

on urban, mesoscale, regional, and multimedia models, which will be used to develop air pollution 

control policies, human and ecosystem exposure assessments, and air quality forecasts. There will be 

increased emphasis placed on meteorological research into global-to-regional-to-urban-local formation 

and intercontinental transport of air contaminants in support of the revisions to the National Ambient 

Air Quality Standards and ecosystem protection strategies. Increased efficiency of computation and 

interpretation of model results are being made possible by means of supercomputing and scientific 

visualization techniques. 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) estimated meteorological operations 

and research budget request for FY 2014 is $483.9 million and 4 FTE. This request is an increase of 

6.5 percent from the FY 2013 budget of $454.3 million.1

 The budget figures reported are based on 

 

1 The FY 2013 budget reported in this year's plan ($454,3M) corrects a reporting error made in the previous year’s report, 

which estimated that NASA’s FY 2013 budget for meteorological operations and research would be $449.7M. This 

correction more accurately represents an estimate of the Heliophysics Division activities in space weather described in this 

report. 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-17 

relevant missions and programs in the Earth Science Division2 and the Heliophysics Division3 within 

the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), and the Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate (HEOMD). Across the directorates, NASA estimates the extent to which each mission and 

program contributes and relates to meteorological operations and research activities. 

NASA Earth Science advances understanding of the Earth system, its components and their 

interactions, its changes, and the consequences of these changes for life. The program pioneers the use 

of remote sensing data, primarily space-based, in new and innovative ways, and leverages NASA’s 

unique capabilities in global Earth observation. Earth Science Research sponsors basic disciplinary and 

interdisciplinary research, Earth system modeling efforts, the Airborne Science project (which 

provides access to aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems), and supercomputing efforts supporting a 

variety of programs, as well as education and outreach. At least 90 percent of the funds of the Earth 

Science Research program are competitively awarded to investigators from academia, the private 

sector, and NASA Centers. The program uses satellite and airborne measurements, coupled with 

cutting-edge analyses and numerical models, to turn observations into information and understanding. 

NASA takes an organized approach to address complex, interdisciplinary Earth science problems, 

integrating science across the programmatic elements in pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of 

the Earth system. The resulting programmatic structure comprises six interdisciplinary and interrelated 

science focus areas. These areas are: 

 Climate Variability and Change: Improve the ability to predict climate changes by better 

understanding the roles and interactions of oceans, atmosphere, land, and ice in the climate 

system; 

 Atmospheric Composition: Advance the understanding of changes in the Earth’s radiation 

balance, air quality and the ozone layer that result from changes in atmospheric composition; 

 Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems: Detect and predict changes in Earth's ecological and chemical 

cycles, including land cover, biodiversity, and the global carbon; 

 Water and Energy Cycle: Enable better assessment and management of water quality and 

quantity to accurately predict how the global water cycle evolves in response to climate change; 

 Weather: Improve the capability to predict weather and extreme weather events; and 

 Earth Surface and Interior: Characterize the dynamics of Earth’s surface and interior, 

improving the capability to assess and respond to natural hazards and extreme events. 

NASA also supports space weather research through the Heliophysics Division and space weather 

operations within the HEOMD. The objective of the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s SMD is to 

explore and understand the dynamic processes connecting the Sun, the Earth and planetary space 

environments, and the outer reaches of our solar system and develop the knowledge to predict extreme 

 

2

 The Earth Science Division (ESD) reported budget includes an estimate of weather observations and research and closely 

related program activities. Research and satellite mission budgets are estimated proportionally to their overall contributions 

to activities reported, noting that the objective of ESD’s program is to advance Earth System science. 

3 This report includes Heliophysics Division research assets and programs that contribute significantly to the advancement 

of space weather knowledge and to the transfer of that knowledge into space weather prediction systems. 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-18 

conditions in space to protect life and society. Research areas in space weather for the coming year 

include: 

 The complex response of the atmosphere to short-term solar variations and how these effects 

translate into the historical records of solar variability and their long-term impacts on climate. 

 The understanding of the "life cycle" of a magnetic flux rope, from its birth in the Sun, through 

its evolution and growth phase in the corona, to its eruption and transport through the 

heliosphere. 

 The relationship between solar and interplanetary structures and the dynamic responses of 

hazardous radiation conditions near and inside the geosynchronous orbit. 

 The characterization of thermospheric wind processes during disturbed periods and their 

influence on the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system. 

The HEOMD objective is weather-related safety of manned spacecraft, satellites, scientific 

instruments, and launch vehicles. The greatest challenge is to accurately measure and forecast 

mesoscale weather events that strongly impact launch and landing operations. 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

For FY 2014, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) total planned contract expenditures of 

$1.69 million ($284,000 for operations and $1.4 million for supporting research) and 7 FTE is for 

meteorological operations to continue: 

 technical assistance for the analysis of atmospheric dispersion for routine and postulated 

accidental releases from nuclear facilities 

 conducting meteorological research in support of licensing activities 

 preparation of guidance on meteorological issues in licensing actions 

 review of proposed sites for possible construction of new nuclear power plants 

The meteorological support program in the NRC includes analyzing and utilizing meteorological data 

in atmospheric transport and dispersion models. These models provide insight on plume pathways in 

the near- and far-fields for building wake and dispersion characteristics to perform dose calculations on 

postulated releases into the environment. Meteorological information is used as input to the 

probabilistic safety assessment, the assessment of the radiological impacts of routine releases from 

normal operations, the assessment of other (non-radiological) hazards (including rare external events 

such as extreme storms) that may impact safe operation of the facility, and the assessment of design or 

operational changes proposed for the facility. 

Current and projected research activities include updating the methods used to estimate the effects of 

extreme precipitation events, and developing an integrated approach for probabilistic flood hazard 

assessment (PFHA). During FY 2012, research was initiated to address the influence of orographic 

features on extreme precipitation events. This work is prioritized for those areas of the United States 

where new nuclear power plants are proposed and will provide the design basis for flood protection 

systems. 

Additionally, after a hiatus of some 25 years, the nuclear power industry has expressed an interest in 

seeking approvals for new nuclear power plants. Numerous early site permit, combined license, and 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-19 

design certification applications have been received and are currently under review. These reviews will 

also consider regional climatology and local meteorology. In addition to its internal review activities, 

the NRC may seek assistance from other Federal agencies to support its safety and environmental 

reviews. 

The March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dia-ichi nuclear power plant, which was caused by an 

earthquake and subsequent tsunami, resulted in the NRC issuing letters to all its operating nuclear 

power plant licensees requesting that they reevaluate flooding hazards at their sites using updated 

information and present-day regulatory guidance and methodologies. The NRC licensees were 

requested to provide their responses on a staggered three-year basis, beginning in March 2013. The 

NRC staff, along with support from its consultants, has begun reviewing the flood hazard reevaluations 

that have been submitted to date to determine whether additional regulatory actions are necessary to 

protect the site against the reevaluated flooding hazards. 

BUDGET TABLES 

Table 1 Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research Costs* by Agency 

This summary table consolidates fiscal information, by agency, for both meteorological operations and 

supporting research. The table shows the funding level for FY 2013 based on Congressional 

appropriations, the budget request for FY 2014, the percent change, and the individual agency 

percentage of the total Federal funding for FY 2013 and FY 2014. 

 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-20 

Table 2 Operational Costs by Budget Category 

This table describes the agency plans to obligate their funds for meteorological operations by budget 

category. The two major categories are Operations Support and Major Systems Acquisition. To a large 

degree, these categories correspond to non-hardware costs (Operations Support) and hardware costs 

(Systems Acquisition). 

 

 

Table 3 Supporting Research and Development Costs by Budget Category 

This table describes the agency plans to obligate their funds for meteorological supporting research 

and Development by budget category. Similar to operational funding in table 2, these categories are 

Research and Development (non-hardware) and Systems Development (hardware). 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-21 

Tables 4 and 5, Operational Costs and Supporting Research Costs by Service Category 

These tables indicate how the funds identified in Tables 2 and 3 are divided among a set of eleven 

service categories. Table 4 reflects how the agencies plan to obligate operational funds and Table 5 

supporting research funds. The service categories evolve over time, as applications change with 

technology and with societal needs. The service category definitions are described below: 

Service Category Definitions 

 Basic Services. Basic services include the basic meteorological service system, to include observations, public weather 

forecasts, severe weather warnings and advisories, and the meteorological satellite activities of NOAA. Basic services 

also include the operations and supporting research of other Federal agencies that have been identified as contributing 

to basic meteorological services. 

 Agriculture and Land Management Meteorological Services. Agricultural and land management meteorological 

services are those services and facilities established to meet the requirements of the agricultural industries and Federal, 

state, and local agencies charged with the protection and maintenance of the Nation's land areas. Meteorological 

services specifically tailored for wildland fire management are reported under the wildland fire weather service 

category. 

 Aviation Services. Aviation services are those specialized meteorological services and facilities established to meet the 

requirements of general, commercial, and military aviation. Civil programs that are directly related to services solely 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-22 

for aviation and military programs in support of land-based aviation and medium- or long-range missile operations are 

included. Detailed aviation services/products for specific areas include, but are not limited to, ceiling and visibility, 

convective hazards, en route winds and temperatures, ground de-icing, in-flight icing, terminal winds and temperatures, 

turbulence, volcanic ash, and other airborne hazardous materials. 

 Climate Services. Climate services are specialized meteorological and hydrological services established to meet the 

requirements of Federal, state, and local agencies for information on the historical, current, and future state of the earth 

system. Climate services include observations, monitoring, assessments, predictions, and projections of the 

atmosphere, hydrosphere, and land surface systems. 

 Emergency Response and Homeland Security Services. Emergency response and homeland security services are those 

specialized meteorological services and facilities established to meet the requirements of Federal, state, and local 

agencies responding to natural disasters and security incidents. This category includes the use of atmospheric transport 

and diffusion (ATD) models for predicting the dispersion of airborne toxic substances; it also includes natural disaster 

monitoring and prediction services and the transport of water-borne toxic substances not included in basic services. 

 Hydrometeorology and Water Resources Services. Hydrometeorology and water resources services are those 

specialized meteorological services and facilities that combine atmospheric science, hydrology, and water resources in 

order to meet the requirements of Federal, state, and local agencies for information on the effects of precipitation 

events on infrastructure, water supplies, and waterways. These products and services also meet the needs of the general 

public in the conduct of everyday activities and for the protection of lives and property. 

 Military Services. Military services are those meteorological operations, services, and capabilities established to meet 

the unique requirements of military user commands and their component elements. Programs and services that are not 

uniquely military in nature are reported under another service category (e.g., Basic Services, Aviation Services 

[civilian], Surface transportation Services, or Emergency Response and Homeland Security Services). 

 Space Weather Services. Space weather services are those specialized meteorological services and facilities 

established to meet the needs of users for information on space weather conditions and space weather storms that can 

affect terrestrial systems, the Earth’s atmosphere, and the near-Earth space environment. Space weather services 

include monitoring and reporting of space weather storms and their effects on the Earth’s atmosphere, ionosphere, and 

geomagnetic fields. Early warning of an approaching space weather storm, so that timely protective response is 

possible, is an important part of space weather services. 

 Surface Transportation. Surface transportation services are those specialized meteorological services and facilities 

established to meet the weather information needs of the following surface transportation sectors: roadways, long-haul 

railways, the marine transportation system, rural and urban transit, pipeline systems, and airport ground operations. The 

roadway sector includes state and Federal highways and all state and local roads and streets. The marine transportation 

system includes coastal and inland waterways, ports and harbors, and the intermodal terminals serving them. Rural and 

urban transit includes bus and van service on roadways and rail lines for metropolitan subway and surface “light-rail” 

systems.

 Wildland Fire Weather Services. Wildland fire weather services are those specialized meteorological services and 

facilities established to meet the requirements of the wildfire management community at the Federal, state, tribal, and 

local levels. The primary areas of service are to support the reduction of wildfire initiation potential and the mitigation 

of both human and environmental impacts once initiation does occur. Services can include support to first responders 

and land managers and climate services tailored to wildland fire management. 

 Other Specialized Services. Other specialized services include weather and climate information services and facilities 

established to meet the special needs of user agencies or constituencies not included in basic services or the preceding 

service categories. This service category includes any efforts to integrate the social sciences into meteorological 

operations, applications, and services not already described in the preceding sections. 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-23
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-24 

Table 6 Personnel Engaged in Meteorological Operations 

Table 6 depicts the agency staff resources requested for meteorological operations represented as FullTime Equivalents (FTE) or personnel authorizations. The total agency staff resources requested for FY 

2014 is 11,526, a 1.2% decrease from FY 2013. 

Table 7 Interagency Fund Transfers 

This table summarizes the reimbursement of funds from one agency to another during FY 2013. 

Agencies routinely enter into reimbursable agreements when they determine an agency can provide the 

activity more cost-effectively. While specific amounts may vary from year-to-year, the pattern shown 

is essentially stable and reflects a significant level of interagency cooperation. 

TABLE 7 Interagency Fund Transfers 

for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

FY2013 Funds ($K) Estimated or Planned 

Supporting 

Transferred from: To: Operations Research 

DOC/NOAA 

NESDIS 0 0 

NWS USDA 60 0 NRCS 

OAR DOE 0 3800 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-25 

TABLE 7 Interagency Fund Transfers, Continued

OAR USDA 0 224 

USDA 

USDA/USFS DOI/BLM-OFA 653 0 

RAWS maintenance 

contracts 

USDA/USFS DOI/BLM 101 0 Lightning 

USDA/USFS DOI/BLM 50 0 

Smoke Monitoring Cache 

Management 

DOD 

Air Force DOC/NOAA/NWS 1592 189 

Air Force DOC/NOAA/NESDIS 90 0 

Air Force DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 275 

Air Force DOC/OFCM 159 0 

Air Force DOI/USGS 557 0 

Air Force NASA 381 750 

Air Force NSF 400 0 

Air Force NSF/UCAR/NCAR 0 4650 

Air Force DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 806 

Navy DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 1384 

Army OFCM 65 0 

USACE NOAA/NWS 247 215 

USACE DOI/USGS 18798 0 

USACE USDA 120 0 NRCS 

USACE DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 300 

DOD DOI/BLM OFA 22 0 

DOI 

USGS DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 100 

DOI/NPS USDA 18 0 NRCS 

DOI/BOR USDA 12 0 NRCS 

DOI DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 183 

DOI/BLM SWA USDA-NIFA 65 0 

DOI/BLM SWA USDA 50 0 NRCS 

DOT 

FAA Weather NOAA/NWS 63 0 APAIDS in Alaska 

FAA Weather NOAA/NWS 143632 0 Meteorologists 

FAA Weather NWS 92 0 

(IAA - CWSU Execution 

Flexibility) 

FAA Weather NWS 13868 0 (IAA - CWSU Fixed) 

FAA Weather NWS 351 0 (WAFS-WIFS) 

FAA Weather Lockheed Martin Flight Service 157163 0 

FAA Weather Contractor 51000 0 (CWO Fixed) 

FAA Weather Contractor 975 0 (CWO Execution Flexibility)

FAA DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 3302 

DOT DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 446 

NASA 

DOD/USAF/45th Space Wing 800 0 

DOD/USAF/Edwards AFB 0 0 

DOC/NOAA/NDBC 100 0 

DOC/NOAA/SMG 400 0 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-26 

TABLE 7 Interagency Fund Transfers, Continued

DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 4032 

DOE DOC/NOAA/OAR 0 1250 

State/Local USDA 103 0 NRCS 

 Table 8 Facilities/Locations for Taking Meteorological Observations 

This table shows the number of facilities/locations or platforms at which the Federal agencies carry out 

or supervise the taking of various types of meteorological observations. 

TABLE 8 Facilities/Locations Taking Meteorological Observations 

No. of 2013 

TYPE OF OBSERVATION by AGENCY Locations 

Surface, land 

Commerce (NWS all types) 841 

Commerce (OAR manned Atmospheric Baseline Observations) 6 

Commerce (NOAA Climate Reference Network) 122 

Commerce (NOAA/INL Mesonet) 35 

Commerce (Weather Monitoring Stations) 16 

Commerce (SORD Mesonet) 21 

Air Force (U.S. & Overseas) 195 

Navy (U.S. & Overseas) 68 

Marine Corps (U.S. & Overseas) 24 

Army (U.S. & Overseas) 40 

Transportation (FAA Contract Wx Obsg Stn)* 136 

Transportation (FAA Auto Wx Obsg Stn - AWOS) 188 

Transportation (FAA Auto Wx Sensor Sys - AWSS) 44 

Transportation (FAA Auto Sfc Obsg Sys - ASOS)** 571 

Transportation (FAA Flight Service Stations in Alaska)*** 17 

Transportation (FHWA-Road Wx Obsg Stn) 2437 

Homeland Security (USCG Coastal) 50 

Interior (BLM Soil/Water/Air Program) 478 

Interior (BLM Office of Fire and Aviation) 971 

Agriculture (Forest Service) 1052 

Agriculture (NRCS active manual snow courses) 1185 

Agriculture (NRCS automated SNOTEL stations) 860 

Agriculture (NRCS automated SCAN stations) 191 

NASA (all types) 1 

Total 9549 

*Note: All 136 FAA Contract Wx Obsg Stations are colocated with a FAA or Commerce (NWS) ASOS 

**Note: Transportation (FAA oversight Auto Sfc Obsg Sys, non-Fed inspected 1400) 

***Note: 17 Flight Service Stations in Alaska since 2007 owned and supported by Harris Corporation 

Surface, marine 

Commerce (SEAS-equipped ships) 622 

Commerce (Coastal-Marine Autom Network) 56 

Commerce (NOS/PORTS - only stations with met sensors) 66 

Commerce (Buoys--moored) 98 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

1-27 

TABLE 8 Facilities/Locations Taking Meteorological Observations, continued

Commerce (Buoys--drifting) 21 

Commerce (NOS/NWLON - only stations with met sensors) 182 

Navy (Ships with met personnel) 29 

Navy (Ships without met personnel) 255 

Homeland Security (USCG Cutters) 250 

NASA (Buoys - moored) 0 

Total 1579 

Upper air, balloon 

Commerce (U.S.) 102 

Commerce (Foreign, Cooperative) 22 

Commerce (met/ozone/water vapor) 17 

Air Force, Mobile 1 

Army, Fixed (U.S. & Overseas) 9 

Army, Mobile (U.S. and Overseas) 6 

Navy, Fixed (U.S. & Overseas) 0 

Navy, Mobile(U.S. & Overseas) 10 

Navy, Ships 29 

Marine Corps, Mobile 13 

NASA (U.S. and Overseas) 13 

Total 222 

Atmospheric Profilers 

Air Force (Eastern Range) (915 MHz) 5 

Air Force (Eastern Range) (SODARS) 5 

Air Force (Western Range) (915 MHz) 5 

Air Force (Western Range) (50 MHz) 1 

Air Force (Western Range SODARS) 2 

Army 4 

NASA (50 MHz) 1 

Total 23 

Doppler weather radar (WSR-88D) sites 

Commerce (NWS) 122 

Air Force (U.S. & Overseas) 26 

Transportation-FAA (Off CONUS) 12 

Total 160 

Doppler weather radar (Not WSR-88D) sites 

Air Force (Fixed, Deployed)) 14 

Army 3 

Navy (Fixed) 9 

Commerce (Research Phased Array Radar- NWRT) 1 

Total 27 

Airport Terminal Doppler weather radars 

Transportation-FAA (Commissioned) 45 

Total 45 

Conventional radar (non-Doppler) sites 

Commerce (NWS) 2 

Air Force, Mobile Units 35 

Army (U.S. and Overseas) 0 

Transportation (FAA (WSP)) 34 
Section 1. Agency Funding for Meteorological Operations and Supporting Research

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TABLE 8 Facilities/Locations Taking Meteorological Observations, continued

Total 71 

Off-site WSR-88D Principle User Processors (PUPs) 

Air Force (OPUPs only) 99 

Marine Corps (U.S. & Overseas) 9 

Army 1 

Total 109 

Weather reconnaissance Aircraft 

Commerce (OMAO) 3 

Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) - WC-130J 10 

Total 13 

Geostationary meteorological satellites (No. operating) 

GOES 12 - South America 1 

GOES 13 - Operational East 1 

GOES 14 - On-Orbit Storage 1 

GOES 15 - Operational West 1 

NESDIS Total 4 

Polar meteorological satellites (No. operating) 

METOP-A - AM Primary 1 

NOAA 15 - AM Secondary 1 

NOAA 16 - PM Secondary 1 

NOAA 17 - AM Backup 1 

NOAA 18 - PM Secondary 1 

NOAA 19 - PM Primary 1 

NESDIS Sub-Total 6 

Air Force (2 primary, 2 secondary, 2 tactical) 6 

Navy (WINDSAT and GFO) 1 

Total 13 

Electric Field Mills (Surface) 

NASA (KSC) 0 

Army 6 

Total 0 

Lightning Detection Systems 

Air Force (ER&WR - Cloud - Ground) 2 

Air Force (ER&WR - NLDN) 2 

Army 6 

Total 10 

Rocketsondes 

Army Total 2 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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SECTION 2 

FEDERAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-2 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-3 

FEDERAL COORDINATION AND PLANNING 

FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH 

STATUTORY BASIS FOR THE FEDERAL COORDINATION PROCESS 

In 1963, Congress and the Executive Office of the President expressed concern about the 

adequacy of the coordination of Federal meteorological activities. In response, Congress directed 

in Section 304 of Public Law 87-843—the Appropriations Act for State, Justice, Commerce, and 

Related Agencies—that the Bureau of the Budget prepare an annual horizontal budget for all 

meteorological programs in the Federal agencies. The Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of 

Management and Budget, OMB) issued a report in 1963 entitled Survey of Federal 

Meteorological Activities. That report described each agency’s program for meteorological 

services and products and detailed the relationships among the programs of the various agencies. 

The report revealed close cooperation but little evidence of systematic coordination. Based on its 

survey, the Bureau of the Budget issued a set of ground rules to be followed in the coordination 

process. It established a permanent general philosophy for assignment and assessment of agency 

roles in the field of meteorology and set certain goals to be achieved by the coordination process. 

The Bureau of the Budget tasked the Department of Commerce (DOC) to establish the 

coordinating mechanism in concert with the other Federal agencies. It also reaffirmed the 

concept of having a central agency—the DOC—responsible for providing common 

meteorological facilities and services and clarified the responsibilities of other agencies for 

providing meteorological services specific to their mandated missions. 

The implementation of these directives by DOC led to the creation of the OFCM and the 

appointment of the first Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting 

Research (the Federal Coordinator). The Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and 

Supporting Research (FCMSSR) was established in 1964 to provide policy-level agency 

representation and guidance to the Federal Coordinator in addressing agency priorities, 

The mission of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting 

Research (OFCM) is to ensure the effective use of Federal meteorological resources by leading the 

systematic coordination of operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research among 

the Federal agencies. Its high-level focus includes cross-agency needs and requirements, issues and 

problems, studies, reports, plans, handbooks, and crosscut reviews, assessments, and analyses. 

The OFCM operates with policy guidance from the Federal Committee for Meteorological Services 

and Supporting Research (FCMSSR). The principal work in coordinating meteorological activities 

and in the preparation and maintenance of OFCM reports, plans, and other documents is accomplished 

by the OFCM staff with the advice and assistance of the Interdepartmental Committee for 

Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (ICMSSR) and more than 30 program councils, 

committees, working groups, and joint action groups. The members who serve on these entities are 

Federal agency representatives. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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requirements, and issues related to services, operations, and supporting research. The FCMSSR 

also resolves agency differences that arise during the coordination of meteorological activities 

and the preparation of Federal plans. 

The FCMSSR comprises representatives of the 15 Federal agencies that engage in 

meteorological activities or supporting research, have a major need for meteorological services, 

or set policy and direction for such services and research. These 15 agencies are the Departments 

of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce (DOC), Defense (DOD), Energy (DOE), Homeland Security 

(DHS), the Interior (DOI), State (DOS), and Transportation (DOT); the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National 

Science Foundation (NSF), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission; and OMB and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). 

The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, who is also the Administrator of 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), serves as the FCMSSR 

Chairperson. 

OFCM COORDINATING INFRASTRUCTURE 

The OFCM Coordinating Infrastructure Diagram, on page 2-5, shows the current infrastructure 

of program councils, committees, working groups (WG), and joint action groups (JAG) through 

which the OFCM carries out its mission of ensuring the effective use of Federal meteorological 

resources by coordinating operational weather requirements, services, and supporting research 

among the Federal agencies. The FCMSSR is shown at the top of the diagram, as the policy 

guidance advisor to the Federal Coordinator. 

 The Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting 

Research (ICMSSR), which is chaired by the Federal Coordinator, is the primary 

program management body of the Federal coordinating structure. ICMSSR provides 

advice to the OFCM, implements FCMSSR policies, and oversees the committees and 

working groups that address observing systems, weather operations and services, 

operational processing centers, and automated weather information systems. The full 

membership of ICMSSR is shown on the inside cover of this Federal Plan.

 The Program Councils, which are directly under the FCMSSR and are each chaired by 

the Federal Coordinator, coordinate key programs at the highest interagency policy 

decision-making level, and ensure that the programs meet joint requirements. In addition 

to establishing policy, the program councils coordinate development and oversee the 

preparation and implementation of national program plans, which include research and 

development (R&D), systems development, validation and integration, acquisition 

strategy, operational concepts, agency roles, and management. 

 The committees and their working groups and joint action groups operate at the 

program and working levels to provide: (1) a forum for each agency to report activities, 

difficulties, and achievements; (2) a mechanism for coordinated change and problem 

solving; (3) a medium for collection, documentation, and consolidation of agency 

requirements and inventories; (4) oversight for coordinated system development; (5) a 

vehicle for coordinating with other groups; and (6) a mechanism for the preparation of 

studies, agreements, standards, protocols, reports, and national plans. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-6 

Using these multiagency entities, the OFCM pursues the following objectives as the means for 

achieving its mission: 

 Document agency programs and activities in a series of national plans and reports that 

enable agencies to adjust their individual ongoing programs and provide a means for 

communicating new ideas and approaches to fulfill requirements. 

 Provide structure and programs to promote continuity in the development and 

coordination of interagency plans and procedures for meteorological services and 

supporting research activities. 

 Prepare analyses, summaries, or evaluations of agency meteorological programs and 

plans that provide a factual basis for the executive and legislative branches to make 

appropriate decisions related to the allocation of funds. 

 Review Federal weather programs and Federal requirements for meteorological services 

and supporting research. This review may suggest additions or revisions to current or 

proposed programs, or identify opportunities for improved efficiency, reliability, or cost 

avoidance through coordinated actions or integrated programs. 

OFCM HIGHLIGHTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013 AND PLANS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014 

Federal coordination activities during FY 2013 and plans for FY 2014 are discussed here under 

the Program Council or ICMSSR standing committee that provided oversight of the associated 

working group or joint action group. The highlights begin with activities reporting directly to the 

Federal Coordinator, then the Program Councils, followed by the ICMSSR standing committees. 

Activities Reporting to the Federal Coordinator 

Support for Plans and Analyses Mandated by the COASTAL Act of 2012 

The Consumer Option for an Alternative System to Allocate Losses (COASTAL) Act was 

passed in June 2012 to lower costs to the National Flood Insurance Program by better discerning 

wind versus storm surge damages in the cases where little tangible evidence beyond a building’s 

foundation remains for the proper adjustment of insurance claims for homes totally destroyed by 

a hurricane or tropical storm. This law requires NOAA to produce detailed post-storm analyses 

following named storms that impact the coastal zone of the United States. These analyses are to 

be submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in DHS within 90 days. 

NOAA is required to make all data and post-storm assessments available to the public and to 

maintain an online database. The database and post-storm model are mandated to be operational 

by Dec. 28, 2013 (540 days after enactment). 

The COASTAL Act also requires that NOAA, in consultation with the OFCM, provide several 

interim deliverables to Congress, including an assessment of current capabilities and needs to 

provide the required post-storm analyses. The Federal Coordinator established the Joint Action 

Group for the COASTAL Act Post-Storm Analysis (JAG/CAPSA) to develop a Coastal Act 

Capabilities Development Plan (CACDP) in collaboration with NOAA. The draft plan, which 

was submitted to the NOAA Administrator on April 15, 2013, for her review and concurrence, 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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provides for the collection of the required observational (covered) data to support post-storm 

assessments. 

The JAG/CAPSA, working with the OFCM’s Working Group for Disaster Impact and Plans: 

Weather and Water (WG/DIAP), also developed an observing protocol to support collection data 

for the post-storm analyses required by the COASTAL Act. This protocol was coordinated and 

approved by the interagency working groups and published in December 2013. The protocol will 

be included in subsequent editions of the National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments: Wind 

and Water (Publication FCM P33). 

The JAG/CAPSA also facilitated establishment of the Coastal Wind and Wind Water Event 

Database for the collection and compilation of covered data in June 2013 and is currently 

working to implement the Named Storm Event Model. 

National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations 

The OFCM has been an active and lead participant in the OSTP-sponsored National Earth 

Observations Task Force since this assessment activity was chartered in 2011 by OSTP’s 

Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability (CENRS). The assessment 

responds to a congressional mandate to the OSTP Director to establish a mechanism to ensure 

greater coordination of civilian Earth observations, including the development of a strategic 

implementation plan to be updated at least every 3 years. In April 2013, the task force published 

its report, National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations. The assessment is organizes into a 

portfolio of 13 Societal Benefit Areas (SBA). 

The OFCM led teams of subject matter experts in the assessment process for the weather and 

space weather SBAs and supported the assessment working group. See the heading below for the 

National Space Weather Program Council for more on OFCM involvement in this initiative. 

During FY 2013, OFCM also supported OSTP through its membership in the United States 

Global Earth Observing (USGEO) program. 

OFCM 50th Anniversary Retrospective and Commemoration 

November 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the action by the Bureau of the Budget (Now the 

Office of Management and Budget) that set in motion the designation of a Federal Coordinator 

for Meteorology and establishment of the OFCM. To mark this occasion, the OFCM released in 

November 2013 The Federal Role in Meteorological Services and Supporting Research: A HalfCentury of Multi-Agency Collaboration, which includes a retrospective review of OFCM 

activities and coordination infrastructure evolution throughout the past half-century, plus a 

forward look at the coordination challenges of today. A commemorative celebration, attended by 

all of the living Federal Coordinators, including Dr. Robert M. White, the first Federal 

Coordinator and first NOAA Administrator, was held in the NOAA Headquarters auditorium on 

November 13, 2013. Representatives from the FCMSSR member agencies and from the 

coordination infrastructure program councils, committees, and working groups attended. 

Congressman Chaka Fattah, ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 

Science and related agencies, gave the opening address, and NASA Administrator Charles 

Bolden gave the keynote address.
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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National Aviation Weather Program Council 

The OFCM supports implementation of the National Aviation Weather Program, which is a 

broad interagency effort to advance meteorological standards, improve products, enhance 

services, and conduct research that contributes to the overall goal of providing the best state-ofthe-art information to aviation end users where and when they need it. The OFCM also 

participates in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Weather Working 

Group (NWWG) and the Friends/Partners in Aviation Weather (FPAW). 

In support of work by the Committee for Aviation Services and Research (CASR) to develop an 

Aviation Weather R&D Roadmap, OFCM conducted an informal survey of vendors to identify 

planned Independent Research and Development efforts that could contribute to products and 

services to be provided to National Aerospace System users in the NextGen era. Aviation 

weather–related work by the OFCM on the Pilot Report (PIREP) code is described later in this 

section under the Committee for Environmental Information Systems and Communications. 

National Operational Processing Centers Program Council 

During FY 2013, the OFCM continued to organize and lead the National Operations Processing 

Centers Program Council (NOPC). The NOPC provides senior management oversight for the 

Committee for Operational Processing Centers (COPC) and facilitates improved collaboration 

among the NOPC member organizations that have direct oversight of COPC member offices. 

The NOPC principal members are the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), NOAA 

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), the U.S. Navy 

Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and the U.S. Air Force Directorate of Weather. 

These NOPC principals set policy; provide strategic vision, planning, program guidance, and 

interagency funding authority; identify future roadmap capabilities for their own agencies; 

determine how to effectively position themselves for future requirements and collaboration; and 

identify coordinated approaches to solving the Nation’s highest priority environmental 

information needs. 

A NOPC meeting held on September 30, 2013, focused on three broad areas: (1) space-based 

environmental monitoring, (2) COPC data exchange, and (3) numerical weather prediction. 

During the space-based environmental monitoring section, the NOPC principals received update 

briefings on the status of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite R Series (GOES-R) efforts, along with a recommendation to reestablish 

the Committee for Operational Environmental Satellites (COES). COES will be reestablished 

under NOPC oversight to address the challenges of interagency environmental satellite 

coordination. The COPC data exchange section reviewed the status of the Non-secure Internet 

Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet) Federated Gateway implementation and the continued need 

for establishing and funding a second point of presence to exchange data between DOD and 

NOAA. The meeting ended with a review of the Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) 

Program, consequences of the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Bill for NOAA/NWS, and a 

review of NSF’s visiting scientist and the university-based ensemble project. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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Committee for Operational Processing Centers 

In FY 2013, COPC continued to facilitate improved processing and backup capabilities for 

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction and Office of Satellite Data Processing 

and Distribution, the Air Force Weather Agency, and the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Numerical 

Meteorology and Oceanography Center and Naval Oceanographic Office. Activities under 

COPC and its Working Group for Cooperative Support and Backup included the work of three 

joint action groups. The Joint Action Group for Operational Community Modeling (JAG/OCM) 

has and will continue to work to enhance the implementation of ensemble efforts among the 

centers. The Joint Action Group for Centralized Communications Management (JAG/CCM) 

worked to increase the bandwidth on the AFWA COPC network line and will work to connect 

the COPC Network through the NFG to mitigate the operational impacts on the exchange of data 

between the operational processing centers. The Joint Action Group for Operational Data 

Acquisition for Assimilation (JAG/ODAA) will continue to address the follow-on efforts that 

came out of the Observational Data Workshop. Key items include addressing space weather data, 

reinvigorating the ocean data community, and the development of an all-inclusive observational 

data inventory among the operational processing centers. 

National Space Weather Program Council 

Over the past year, the Federal agencies engaged in the National Space Weather Program 

Council (NSWPC) have been working to establish closer coordination in providing space 

weather science, research, and services to the Nation. The NSWPC member agencies have 

agreed to enter into a more formal relationship to establish a Unified National Space Weather 

Capability (UNSWC), which aims to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness in the 

provision of space weather services, research, and technology to the agencies’ customers and 

stakeholders. The UNSWC agreement was established on February 13, 2013, by an interagency 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the five agencies to more effectively implement 

planning, programming, budgeting, and execution of interagency initiatives. The UNSWC is the 

product of interagency coordination among the nine NSWPC partners that participate and 

contribute to the UNSWC in various ways. 

In April 2012, the NSWPC provided OSTP with an update to the report entitled, Space Weather 

Observing Systems: Current Capabilities and Requirements for the Next Decade. This analysis 

and report provided an interagency-approved comprehensive architecture for current and future 

space weather observing capabilities. Findings and recommendations contained in the report 

were used to inform the President’s Budget Request for 2014, and OSTP gave the report to 

Congress in April 2013. The results from this report were subsequently used as input to the 

OSTP National Earth Observing Task Force Space Weather SBA. A working group of space 

weather subject matter experts from the NSWPC agencies performed a careful translation and 

reanalysis of the NSWPC report data into the National Earth Observing assessment model. 

In June 2013, the NWSPC, through the OFCM, sponsored, planned, and hosted the annual Space 

Weather Enterprise Forum (SWEF) to share information among Federal agency stakeholders and 

extend education and outreach to a wider community. The 2013 SWEF brought together about 

200 experts and stakeholders from government, science, and industry, including international 

participants. U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and the 

Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Kathryn Sullivan provided 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-10 

keynote and opening remarks. Media coverage and outreach raised awareness of space weather 

and its effects—the first step in creating a more resilient society and economy. 

Executive Council for Multifunction Phased Array Radar 

The Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) initiative seeks to consolidate the radar 

surveillance missions of four agencies: DOD, DHS, DOC/NOAA, and DOT/Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), reducing the number of radars required and consolidating operations and 

logistics. This report included a research and development plan, a siting study, and early cost 

estimates. MPAR risk reduction is driven by the report, Federal Research and Development 

Needs and Priorities for Phased Array Radar, published by the OFCM in 2006. MPAR riskreduction targets include: (1) significantly reducing the cost of phased array technology, (2) 

validating the capability for one radar design to simultaneously meet the needs of four agencies, 

and (3) implementing dual polarization on a phased array system. 

In 2010, the MPAR Executive Council recommended that work proceed on a FAA/NOAA 

technology collaboration that could lead to a new-technology dual-polarization antenna. This 

initiative would immediately address the first major component of the 2011 MPAR Unified 

R&D Plan: Technology Development and Test; it would provide the basis for eventually 

addressing the second major component: Proof of Operational Concepts. The FAA/NOAA 

collaboration has evolved into FAA’s NextGen Surveillance and Weather Radar Capability 

(NSWRC)—the FAA’s program to replace terminal weather and air surveillance radars. NOAA 

provides funding to NSWRC to support investigations into enterprise weather aspects of MPAR 

that fall outside FAA’s requirements. 

The two agencies formed a Government Engineering Team (GET), with OFCM sharing 

leadership responsibilities and hosting face-to-face meetings, to support interagency 

collaboration on the determination of priories, review of study results, and decision making 

regarding application of resources. With help from NOAA funding, the 2006 siting and cost 

studies have been updated and a spectrum study was completed. The program released a Request 

for Information to industry, and the GET evaluated the response from nine vendors. The program 

also conducted a first-order antenna design study, engaging four vendors to conduct a top-level 

antenna design based on notional functional requirements drafted by the GET. 

The MPAR Executive Council met on June 26, 2013, to bring the members up to date on the 

status of NSWRC and discuss the timeline for agency inputs to support their participation in the 

program. OFCM led a follow-up effort within the NOAA community to further explore NOAA 

involvement in NSWRC and MPAR. 

During FY 2013, the OFCM continued to participate in Air Domain Awareness (ADA) 

activities, including the Air Surveillance Working Group (formerly Integrated Surveillance) and 

a series of tabletop exercises. The Federal Coordinator serves as the Department of Commerce 

(DOC) representative on the ADA Board, where he works with the other agencies to 

institutionalize ADA as an effective interagency collaboration and secures DOC equities. 

The MPAR Working Group met several times during the year to keep agencies not participating 

in NSWRC (DHS, DOD, NASA, NTSB, and others) apprised of the status of the NSWRC 

collaboration and to consider other broader issues related to MPAR. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-11 

Committee for Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs 

CESORN covers a wide range of basic meteorological services and supporting research. Areas 

for coordination vary from year to year based on agency interests and needs. 

Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research and Interdepartmental 

Hurricane Conference 

CESORN oversees the Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and 

Research (WG/HWSOR). Both civilian and military organizations comprise the multi-agency 

national tropical cyclone forecasting and warning system, for which the annual National 

Hurricane Operations Plan (NHOP) is a key document. The WG/HWSOR is responsible for the 

document. This year marked the 51st edition of the NHOP. The working group incorporated new 

procedures, agreements, and changes, addressing 20 interagency action items. The updated plan 

was published prior to the 2013 hurricane season and documented the interdepartmental effort to 

provide the United States and designated international recipients with forecasts, warnings, and 

assessments concerning tropical and subtropical weather systems. A notable revision for 2013 

was a set of policy changes allowing for continuance of advisories and products for post-tropical 

cyclones as a result of lessons-learned discussions among Federal, State, and local forecasters 

and emergency managers following Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

The WG/HWSOR is also the lead for the biennial National Winter Storms Operations Plan 

(NWSOP). The working group identified editorial changes to be incorporated into the plan. The 

current NWSOP was published prior to the 2012-2013 winter storm season, with an updated 

planned prior to the 2014-2015 season. Minor changes for the 2013-2014 winter storm season 

were not deemed significant enough to merit publishing an off-cycle update. 

Each year, the OFCM hosts an Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC) to provide a 

forum for the Federal agencies responsible for hurricane operations and/or supporting research 

and development, together with representatives of user communities, to prepare for the upcoming 

hurricane season and to make improvements to the Nation's hurricane forecasting and warning 

program. The IHC agenda is developed by the OFCM with input from and involvement of 

working groups under both CESORN and the Committee for Cooperative Research. 

The 67th Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference/Tropical Cyclone Research Forum was held at 

the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP) in College Park, MD, on 

March 5-7, 2013. The theme was “Tropical Cyclone Research: Our Vision for the Future.” With 

strong partnerships built over many years, more personnel participated than in previous years, 

including representatives from eight Federal agencies: FEMA in DHS; NOAA and the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology in DOC, The U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army Corps of 

Engineers in DOD; the U.S. Geological Survey in DOI, FAA in DOT, NASA, NSF, and USDA. 

Attendees also included representatives from academia, private industry, and the media. The 

following were key takeaway points from the conference: 

 By holding the forum at the NCWCP, travel expenditures and overhead costs were 

reduced. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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 For the first time, the forum had a large “virtual” attendance, with attendees participating 

via the Internet by using teleconferencing technologies. There were 255 total registrants 

for the 67th IHC/TCRF; 114 attended in person, and 141 participated virtually. 

 When the Federal offices in Washington, DC, (including the conference facility) were 

shut down due to a winter storm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, the forum was conducted 

exclusively in the “virtual” mode, with many individuals participating from their homes 

and hotel rooms. The day’s agenda was fully and successfully accomplished. However, 

several participants point out, upon their return to the meeting venue on Thursday, March 

7, that a significant amount of interaction among participants was lost the previous day, 

when the entire meeting was conducted virtually. 

 There were many areas of noteworthy progress related to tropical cyclone operations, 

research, and support to Federal, State, and local governments and the public: 

o Complementary research by the agencies was instrumental to the community’s recent 

progress. 

o Emergency managers are using the 4-5 day forecasts and praising their accuracy. 

o According to the emergency management community, the improvement in intensity 

forecast skill beyond 48 hours was evident, and the tropical cyclone operations and 

research community is providing societal benefit through its focused and coordinated 

R&D. 

o Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP) results are being worked into 

operations and are paying dividends. 

o Forecast skill has improved due to improved resolution, observations, data 

assimilation, and model physics. 

o The Joint Hurricane Testbed continues to be healthy and productive. Since 2001, 74 

projects were supported, 62 completed, and 35.5 implemented (of which 24.5 have 

been implemented at the National Hurricane Center [NHC]). 

o Tests and evaluations show high utility for observations from future GOES-R, 

airborne expendable bathythermographs (AXBT), and unmanned aerial systems 

(UAS) such as Global Hawk. 

o Synthetic observations and targeted observations are proving valuable in improving 

forecast skill. 

o While still requiring much improvement, 4-week forecasts of tropical cyclone genesis 

and track are showing some promise. 

o While some progress has been shown, much work remains to be done to improve 

knowledge and application of models and forecast information related to storm tides, 

surge, flooding, coastal effects, and other storm landfall hazards. 

o Social science issues seem to be getting more direct action with pointed research and 

implementation (e.g., using post-tropical vs. extra-tropical; changing procedures so 

NHC does not stop forecasting and publicizing information to the media upon storm 

landfall; public recognition of colors for surge and wind risk in warnings). 

 Although much progress has been made, gaps remain in our capability and require 

continued focus: 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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o Emergency managers are now more focused on the timing of 35- and 50-knot 

thresholds than just track and intensity in general. 

o Accurately forecasting intensity change, especially rapid fluctuations and timing of 

those fluctuations, remains a high priority issue. 

o Research into outflow and aerosols may pay dividends in the future. 

o Ensembles may be key to continued forecast skill improvements and need greater 

focus. 

o Characterizing forecast uncertainty in ways that can be understood by the public is 

important. 

o Focused observations have improved forecasts and warnings; enhancing this 

capability should be explored. 

o The operational centers desire further development of forecaster guidance decision 

tools. 

o Acquiring real-time observations may increasingly become a challenge in the current 

fiscal environment; crucial efforts to pursue include nontraditional observations, such 

as those from Global Hawk UAS, and further developing and improving others such 

as AXBTs. 

o Coastal and inland storm effects such as surge, inundation, flooding, etc., require 

continued attention. 

 It is critical to continue to challenge the next generation of scientists and researchers; 

there is much more to be done. 

Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans: Weather and Water Data 

Data relevant to disasters acquired from the many routine observing systems often do not provide 

data coverage and density sufficient to adequately document the impacts of a major storm or 

flood or enable understanding of small-scale, localized processes. As a result, routine 

observations are supplemented by post-storm surveys and studies of impact features, such as 

flood marks and wind damage, to fill information gaps and obtain more complete spatial 

coverage. These efforts contribute to determination of the intensity and magnitude of storms and 

may support Presidential disaster declarations. They may also be used to validate emergency 

management and hurricane storm surge models, update FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps, 

revise standards for building materials and construction, and improve forecasting models. 

Further, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and various state agencies use the 

data for purposes such as improving building codes and construction practices. 

To improve the efficiency of agency data collection efforts and promote sharing of data within 

an organized, interagency disaster impact assessment process, the Federal Coordinator 

established the Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans: Weather and Water 

Data (WG/DIAP) in 2010. Tasked to update the 2003 National Post-Storm Data Acquisition 

Plan, the WG/DIAP published the National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments: Weather and 

Water Data (NPDIA) in October 2010. The new plan documents the types of data required, the 

acquisition processes, and the coordinating procedures to be used leading up to, during, and 

following a significant storm event. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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In response to the COASTAL Act of 2012 requirement to establish a “protocol” for the 

collection of covered data required to produce post-storm assessments,1

 the WG/DIAP developed 

a COASTAL Act Data Protocol Annex to the NPDIA. This annex supplements the NPDIA by 

outlining the interagency protocol for responding to storms that could come under provisions of 

the COASTAL Act of 2012. It describes the plan for capturing the data needed for post-storm 

assessments and assembling those data needed for NOAA’s Coastal Weather and Water Event 

Database (CWWED) for assimilation into NOAA’s Named Storm Event Model (NSEM). It also 

specifies how these data are made available to FEMA; other Federal, State, and local 

governmental agencies; private insurance adjusters; and the general public, for use in the 

evaluation of indeterminate loss causes and insurance coverage responsibilities. The NPDIA will 

be revised in FY 2014 to include the new COASTAL Act Data Protocol and the latest data 

collection protocol for response to tsunamis. 

In late FY 2013, the OFCM completed a lengthy coordination process for, and acquired 

signatures on, a new version of the Air Force-NOAA Memorandum of Agreement for Civil Air 

Patrol support for post-storm data collection. In FY 2014, the OFCM will continue to coordinate 

post-storm data acquisition surveys in response to natural disasters and agency requirements, 

including aerial support from the Civil Air Patrol. Under the 5-year Memorandum of Agreement 

and an FY 2014 funding agreement between the OFCM and the Air Force for reimbursable 

support, the Civil Air Patrol will fly missions in support of glacial lake damming assessments in 

Alaska, tornado damage assessments, and severe flooding. 

Urban Meteorology and Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion (ATD) R&D 

On June 25, 2013, the OFCM cosponsored a special session within the 17th annual George 

Mason University Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion Modeling Conference. The theme of the 

session was Progress in Governmental Atmospheric Transport and Dispersion Modeling and 

Response. Subject matter experts from DOC/NOAA (National Weather Service and National 

Ocean Service/Office of Response and Restoration), DOE (National Atmospheric Release 

Advisory Center), DOD (U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

[DTRA]), and DHS (Interagency Modeling & Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC)) 

participated in the session’s panel discussion. 

The session addressed the following objectives: 

 Current status. Agency leaders discussed roles in Federal ATD modeling, 

responsibilities, and governance; the status of existing modeling capabilities, and; how 

model output is provided to decision makers. 

 Advances. Scientists and experts presented and discussed improvements made in the past 

year to models and processes. 

 Gaps. Participants discussed known areas of basic research, model development, and tool 

development that are the highest priorities to address. 

 

1

 See discussion above of OFCM support for plans and analyses mandated by the COASTAL Act, page 2-6). 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-15 

 Future plans. Topics and areas of concern the community should pursue or continue to 

pursue were presented. 

Key takeaways from the session included the following: 

 ATD modeling remains a critical capability need of the U.S. Government as indicated by 

ATD modeling support during response to incidents such as the Fukushima Dai-ichi 

nuclear plant disaster in Japan; the West Point, KY, train derailment and toxic chlorine 

plume; the continued support following the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout in the 

Gulf of Mexico; and continued support of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 

Organization. 

 Continuing evolutionary improvements of modeling and support systems remain a 

priority. In particular, continued support of the Computer Aided Management of 

Emergency Operations (CAMEO) system and the Areal Locations of Hazardous 

Atmospheres (ALOHA) model, the Microswift/Spray (MSS) model, the Hazard 

Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) model, the Joint Effects Model (JEM), 

and the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, 

among others too numerous to mention here, remains an important function of several 

Federal agencies. Also noteworthy is the coupling of models, such as ALOHA with 

HYSPLIT, to further enhance the information provided to decision makers. 

 Due to the complex nature of, and the scales involved with, ATD phenomena, modeling 

effects on dispersion of the multitude of various hazards (chemicals, smoke, biologicals, 

radiation, nuclear detonations, explosions, volcanic ash, etc.) are complex; no single 

model is best suited to provide effective response information in all situations. Thus, 

direct involvement of knowledgeable scientists to identify the model(s) best suited for 

any particular response remains critical. The interagency partnerships in the ATD 

community and the efforts of IMAAC and DTRA remain central to effective Federal, 

State, local, and even international response to critical incidents. 

The Federal Coordinator plans to continue bringing the results of this successful forum to the 

attention of the broader interagency scientific community, with the goal of eliciting how best to 

proceed in meeting the operational and research requirements articulated at the special session. 

Committee for Integrated Observing Systems 

The Federal meteorological community embarked on a significant new initiative for climate 

observing networks in FY 2009, in response to growing interest in climate trends and the 2009 

publication of a National Research Council (NRC) report, cosponsored by the OFCM, entitled 

Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up—A Nationwide Network of Networks. In 

brief, the theme of this report was that the United States enjoys an effective synoptic-scale 

weather observing network, but society demands increasingly finer-scale weather and climate 

information. State and local governments, corporations, academic institutions, and individuals 

have deployed a rapidly growing array of individual sensors and sensor networks in patchwork 

fashion across the country. Much of the data from these systems remain unknown or inaccessible 

to a wider audience of potential users. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-16 

The Committee for Integrated Observing Systems (CIOS) provided the venue for responding to 

this report in conjunction with a similar enterprise-wide effort led by the American 

Meteorological Society (AMS). Under the designation Network of Weather and Climate 

Observing Networks (NOWCON), much of the early work focused on the need to standardize 

metadata, and the Federal Coordinator convened the Joint Action Group on Metadata under 

CIOS. This joint action group studied the issue collaboratively with a similar AMS working 

group and recommended a metadata standard for CIOS consideration. In June 3013 AMS 

published the final report from its Committee on Nationwide Network of Networks detailing its 

suggestions for responding to the NRC report. This action and several other Federal initiatives 

related to atmospheric observations have served as a catalyst for advancing the concept of a 

Federal surface observation metadata standard through the CIOS, an activity planned for 2014. 

During FY 2013, work continued on an update to Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1, 

Surface Weather Observations and Reports to take advantage of enhanced capabilities of new 

instrumentation and to incorporate other changes that have been awaiting implementation. This 

work will continue into FY 2014. In addition, Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 11, 

Doppler Radar Meteorological Observations, Part A—Systems Concepts, Responsibilities and 

Procedures was updated by the NWS Radar Operations Center, reviewed and edited by the 

OFCM and published in February 2013. 

Unmanned Aerial Systems 

Building on the success of two OFCM-sponsored Exploratory Mini-workshop on the Utilization 

of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Environmental Monitoring conducted in 2011 and 2012, the 

ICMSSR requested that the OFCM establish a joint action group to address the subject. The 

Joint Action Group for UAS for Environmental Monitoring (JAG-UAS-EM) conducted meetings 

in December 2012 and February 2013. However, personnel turnover among the co-chairs and 

members has delayed its progress. The JAG-UAS-EM plans to meet in early 2014 to revitalize 

its activity. 

The OFCM continues to support the activities of the OSTP Subcommittee for Unmanned 

Systems (SUS) under the Ocean Science and Technology Committee, which is part of the 

National Science and Technology Council structure. The OFCM’s participation ensures that the 

SUS is well connected to meteorological research and service providers and ensures effective 

coordination across the Federal meteorological enterprise to achieve maximum synergy on 

applications for use of unmanned systems. 

NOAA and NASA have an active partnership for developing and using UAS for weather and 

climate research campaigns for tropical cyclone, arctic, and other missions. The NOAA UAS 

Program is working to determine how and when UAS platforms can begin to augment its fleet of 

manned aircraft for both operational and research missions. NASA’s Hurricane and Severe 

Storm Sentinel (HS3) experiment relies heavily on UAS. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-17 

Committee for Cooperative Research 

Tropical Cyclone Research 

For additional information on tropical cyclone research, see the heading above for the Working 

Group for Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research and Interdepartmental 

Hurricane Conference under CESORN. 

In 2007, the Joint Action Group for Tropical Cyclone Research completed the Interagency 

Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The Way Ahead. This plan presented a common 

set of R&D priorities that were matched to operational requirements from the tropical cyclone 

forecast and warning centers. These priorities served as the baseline for NOAA’s Hurricane 

Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP). In 2008, 2010, and 2012 the Working Group for 

Tropical Cyclone Research (WG/TCR) assessed agency research efforts mapped against tropical 

cyclone research needs and operational priorities. Through these assessments, the WG/TCR has 

established a successful process to: 

 Keep the operational priorities updated, 

 Assess and evaluate how research is contributing to meeting those priorities, 

 Allow research managers to make informed decisions on future investments, and 

 Facilitate interagency collaboration and coordination. 

During 2014, the WG/TCR will focus on completing a mid-course assessment of the 2007 plan 

as tasked by an action item of the 67th IHC. The working group will also prepare responses to 

requests posed during the 67th IHC. 

Weather Information for Surface Transportation 

The OFCM continued to explore weather services and R&D activities supporting the surface 

transportation community, building on its earlier publication, Weather Information for Surface 

Transportation--National Needs Assessment Report. During FY 2013, the OFCM participated in 

the annual meeting of the Federal Highway Administration’s Road Weather Management 

Program and continued to support activities related to weather information and intelligent 

transportation systems. FY 2014 activities include exploring planetary boundary layer forecast 

advances as well as coordinating with the CIOS on observing systems and activities related to 

improving surface transportation capabilities. 

Committee for Environmental Information Systems and Communications 

FY 2014 activities planned for the Committee on Environmental Information Systems and 

Communications (CEISC) include continuing coordination among the agencies regarding 

developing standards for environmental information. CEISC and the OFCM will work to assist 

in coordinating standards from the CIOS NOWCON initiative and will work with the COPC to 

increase the sharing of international environmental data. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-18 

Meteorological Codes 

Change 3 to Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 12, United States Meteorological Codes and 

Coding Practices was implemented on January 1, 2013, to incorporate a number of clarifications 

and minor adjustments in PIREP coding practice. 

During FY 2013, work continued on drafting a change to Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 

1, Surface Weather Observations and Reports, which will be coordinated under CIOS. A 

recommendation was made to correct the typing error in Appendix C and clarify Sea Level 

Pressure coding. The effort will likely require some code changes and will continue into FY 

2014. 

OFCM External Collaborations 

NAS/NRC Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate 

The OFCM continues its mutually beneficial interactions with the NRC. The Federal 

Coordinator participates in the NRC Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) 

strategic planning workshops, and he attends regularly scheduled BASC meetings. 

NAS/NRC Space Science Board, Committee on Space and Solar Physics 

The executive secretary of the NSWPC provided program updates to the NRC Space Science 

Board (SSB) and its Committee on Space and Solar Physics (CSSP). The OFCM anticipates that 

the CSSP will continue to invite the NSWPC members and the executive secretary to participate 

in its semiannual meetings. The OFCM and SSB are seeking ways to leverage each other’s 

strengths in connecting with the Federal and nongovernmental space weather communities. 

Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability (CENRS) 

The Federal Coordinator serves as a member of CENRS, a committee of the National Science 

and Technology Council. The OFCM participates in the work of the CENRS Subcommittee on 

Disaster Reduction (SDR). 

American Meteorological Society 

The OFCM supports AMS activities by participating in AMS conferences and workshops and 

other environmental science education and outreach programs. In FY 2013, the OFCM presented 

two papers at the 93nd AMS Annual Meeting; the OFCM will be involved in two presentations at 

the 94rd meeting in 2014. 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

2-19 

FY 2013 OFCM PUBLICATIONS 

The publications listed in the table below were prepared in hard copy and/or were added to the 

OFCM’s web site (www.ofcm.gov) during FY 2013. 

OFCM PUBLICATION DATE NUMBER 

PLANS (P)

National Hurricane Operations Plan 

Links to WSR-88D Tropical Cyclone Operations Plan & 

Checklist: 

 2013 Build 13.1-13.2 Dual Pol WSR-88D Tropical 

Cyclone Operations Plan (05/15/2013) 

o "QUICK CHECK" List 

May 2013 FCM-P12-2013 

INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENTS (I)

The Federal Role In Meteorological Services and Supporting 

Research -- A Half-Century Of Multi-Agency Collaboration 

November 2013 FCM-17-2013 

HANDBOOKS (H)

Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 11 - Doppler Radar Meteorological Observations (WSR-88D) 

 Part A - System Concepts, Responsibilities, and 

Procedures 

February 2013 FCM-H11A-2013 

Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 12 - United States 

Meteorological Codes and Coding Practices 

(with: Change No. 1 - effective September 2006 

Change No. 2 - effective July 2012 

Change No. 3 - effective January 2013) 

December 1998 FCM-H12-1998 

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS

Unified National Space Weather Capability Memorandum of Agreement and Annex February 2013 

 
 Federal Coordination and Planning 

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Basic Services 

2-21 

BASIC SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service 

(NWS) provides climate, water, and weather warnings and forecasts for the United States, its 

territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas to help protect life and property and enhance the 

national economy. These services are provided through 122 Weather Forecast Offices (WFO), 13 

River Forecast Centers (RFC), and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). 

These offices collect data, prepare local warnings and forecasts, and disseminate information to 

the public, both nationally and internationally, through NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), satellitebased telecommunication systems, radiofacsimile, the media, and the internet. NWS forecasters 

issue short-duration watches and warnings for severe weather, such as tornadoes and severe 

thunderstorms, as well as long-duration watches, warnings, and advisories for hazardous winter 

weather conditions, high wind events, dense fog, and extreme temperatures. 

The NWS uses surveillance technologies such as a national network of Doppler weather radars, 

satellites operated by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

(NESDIS), aircraft observations, data buoys for marine observations and tsunami detection, 

surface weather observing systems at airports, and weather balloons to obtain vertical 

measurements of the atmosphere. Some observations are obtained through the Cooperative 

Observer Program, a nationwide network of volunteer-operated weather observing sites. Many 

other observations are contributed through arrangements with publicly and privately operated 

networks. Observations feed sophisticated environmental prediction models running on high 

performance supercomputers, which provide weather, water, climate, ocean and space weather 

forecast guidance that is available to users. The NWS’ highly trained and skilled workforce uses 

powerful workstations to analyze these data to issue forecasts and warnings around the clock. A 

high-speed communications hub allows for the efficient exchange of these data and products 

among NWS components, partners, and other users. NWS integrated dissemination infrastructure 

including NOAA Weather Radio, satellite broadcast, and the Internet rapidly distributes this 

information. 

The NWS creates forecasts in digital formats and makes them readily available. Forecasters use 

their expertise to maintain an up-to-date digital forecast database of weather elements. This

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Basic Services include the basic meteorological service system, to 

include observations, public weather forecasts, severe weather warnings and advisories, and the 

meteorological satellite activities of NOAA. Basic Services also include the operations and supporting 

research of other Federal agencies that have been identified as contributing to basic meteorological 

services. 
Basic Services 

2-22 

information is stored in the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD). Output from the NDFD 

is publicly available in the form of web graphics on the Internet and in several other digital 

formats. Outreach, education, and feedback are also critical elements in effective public response 

and improvements to NWS services. 

RFCs routinely generate short range (deterministic) through extended range (probabilistic) river 

forecasts and (deterministic) flash flood guidance. Information from the RFCs serves as the 

basis for local flood and flash flood warnings, watches, and advisories issued by the WFOs. 

Some RFCs, especially those in mountainous regions, also provide water-supply volume and 

peak-flow forecasts based on snow pack in high elevations. These water supply forecasts are 

used by a wide range of decision makers, including those in agriculture, hydroelectric dam 

operation and electricity generation, and water resources management. National Operational 

Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) provides comprehensive snow observations, 

analyses, data sets and map products for the Nation. NOHRSC products and services are used by 

RFCs and WFOs to develop a variety of hydrologic products such as spring flood outlooks, 

water supply outlooks, river and flood forecasts, and reservoir inflow forecasts. The capabilities 

of NWS Hydrologic Services were recently expanded through the implementation of the 

Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS) at the 13 NWS RFCs. CHPS is a new 

operational framework, allowing for broad systems interoperability to support new water 

resources-related forecasts. 

NCEP consists of nine national centers that provide a backbone of national expertise for both 

forecast and numerical guidance. The NCEP Storm Prediction Center (SPC) provides forecasts 

and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States. The SPC 

also monitors heavy rain, heavy snow, and provides national outlooks on fire weather potential. 

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) provides forecasts of tropical weather systems and issues 

watches and warnings for the U.S. and surrounding areas for systems in the tropical North 

Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific and provides educational outreach and 

guidance for the international community in the region. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center 

(Honolulu) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (Guam) provide additional tropical cyclone 

coverage for the central and western Pacific, though not part of NCEP. The Weather Prediction 

Center (WPC), formerly the Hydrometeorological Predication Center, provides analyses and 

The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing 

System (AWIPS) is a technologically advanced 

information processing, display, and 

telecommunications system. AWIPS is an 

interactive computer system that integrates all 

meteorological and hydrological data, and all 

satellite and radar data, and enables the 

forecaster to prepare and issue more accurate 

and timely forecasts and warnings. (NOAA 

Image) 

 
Basic Services 

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forecast products with a focus on precipitation amount and type, winter precipitation, model 

diagnostics, surface pressure and frontal analysis. The Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), along 

with NHC, issues marine forecasts for the Atlantic and Pacific oceans from the equator to the 

northern polar regions. The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) provides aviation warnings and 

forecasts of hazardous flight conditions at all levels within domestic and international air space. 

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) provides assessments and forecasts of the impact of shortterm climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events for use in 

mitigating losses and maximizing economic gain. (SWPC) provides real-time monitoring and 

forecasting of solar and geophysical events which impact satellites, power grids, 

communications, navigation, and many other technological systems. The Environmental 

Modeling Center (EMC) develops and improves numerical weather, climate, hydrological and 

ocean prediction through applied research in data analysis, modeling and product development. 

NCEP Central Operations sustains and executes the operational suite of numerical environmental 

analysis and forecast models and prepares NCEP products for dissemination. 

There are other specialized service centers within the NWS, such as the Pacific Tsunami 

Warning Center (PTWC) and the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC), 

which use data from a worldwide seismic network and Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of 

Tsunamis (DART) buoys located throughout the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean 

Sea to issue tsunami watches and warnings for all U.S. and many international coastal 

communities. The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) is responsible for the deployment and 

maintenance of coastal and ocean buoys and sensors that are used for marine forecasts and 

analysis of ocean-based storms. The NWS Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) located in 

Anchorage, Alaska, provides worldwide warnings and advisories to aviation interests regarding 

airborne volcanic ash hazards (see further description of the global system of VAACs in the 

section on volcanic ash in Aviation Services.) 

NWS forecasters support several health-related programs such as Heat Health, and the 

Ultraviolet Index. Heat Health Watch Warning Systems (HHWWS) have been developed for 

select cities to provide advance notice of excessive heat events that produce the greatest number 

of weather-related deaths. 

NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) operates 

the Nation’s civil operational environmental satellite system, making constant observations of 

the Earth and its oceans and atmosphere. Satellite observations are collected, processed, and 

used to develop weather, climate, ocean, and other environmental products, services, and longterm data records that benefit the American public. 

NOAA’s main satellite constellations are the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites 

(GOES) and Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES). These two systems 

provide the U.S. component of a joint environmental monitoring system in partnership with the 

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). NOAA 

also operates the Suomi-National Polar Partnership mission, a NOAA-NASA mission which is 

the precursor to the future NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). On behalf of the 

Department of Defense (DOD), NESDIS also operates the Defense Meteorological Satellite 
Basic Services 

2-24 

Program (DMSP) spacecraft, part of the military’s sixth generation of weather satellites. NOAA 

also operates Jason-2, a joint U.S./European specialized polar-orbiting satellite. In addition, on 

behalf of the Department of Commerce, NESDIS licenses the operation of commercial remotesensing land-imaging satellites. NESDIS also provides long-term stewardship of environmental 

data, managing the world’s largest collection of climatic, geophysical, and oceanographic data 

derived from both in situ and space-based systems. 

Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) 

POES circle the Earth in a nearly north-south orbit at an altitude of 517 miles, passing close to 

both poles. These satellites ensure observational data for any region of the Earth are no more 

than 6 hours old. Data from POES support global weather forecasting models, long-term global 

climate change research, and hazard detection and mitigation. NESDIS operates five polar 

orbiters. The NOAA-15, NOAA-16, and NOAA-18 satellites continue to transmit data as back 

up and secondary satellites. NOAA-19, launched on February 6, 2009, is the primary afternoon 

orbit satellite. NESDIS also manages the command, control, and communications functions of 

DoD’s DMSP. Metop-B, operated by EUMETSAT and launched in 2012, provides operational 

environmental monitoring in the mid-morning orbit. Metop A provides secondary coverage. 

The Metop satellites carry three instruments provided by NOAA. 

In addition, NOAA operates Jason-2, a joint U.S./European specialized polar-orbiting satellite. 

This spacecraft’s mission is to provide physical data of the ocean surface, including ocean 

surface altimetry, sea wave height, sea wave period, surface roughness, and others. This 

mission, also called the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) is a follow-on to the 

successful Jason-1 mission developed by the French Space Agency—Centre National d’Etudes 

Spatiales (CNES)—and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 

JPSS is the next generation of U.S. civil polar-orbiting satellites, with the first launch scheduled 

for FY 2017. NASA is the acquisition agent and system integrator for the JPSS program. 

Given that weather forecasters and climate scientists rely on data from NOAA’s current on-orbit 

assets, efforts to develop the first of the JPSS platforms will focus on ensuring both short- and 

long-term continuity in crucial climate and weather data. The NPOESS Preparatory Project 

(NPP), renamed the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership, was successfully launched from 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA on October 28, 2011. It was intended as a prototype for the 

next-generation of NOAA’s polar satellites. As of February 2012, operations of Suomi NPP were 

transferred from NASA to JPSS program and in 2013; operation was transferred to Office of 

Satellite Product Operations (OSPO). NOAA and NASA retain joint oversight of the ground 

system for Suomi NPP. NOAA/NESDIS maintains a strong partnership with EUMETSAT, 

which will continue to be a cornerstone of a joint polar-orbiting constellation and will ensure 

NOAA/NESDIS’s ability to provide continuous measurements. JPSS-1, which will host the 

same instrument complement as Suomi NPP, is expected to launch no later than second quarter 

FY 2017, and JPSS-2 is planned for launch in FY 2022. 

 
Basic Services 

2-25 

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) 

The GOES spacecraft orbit the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 22,300 miles, 

which means they orbit the equatorial plane of the Earth at a speed matching the Earth’s rotation. 

The GOES system provides continuous observations of environmental conditions of North, 

Central, and South America and the surrounding oceans. These spacecraft provide data critical 

for fast, accurate weather forecasts and warnings, detection of solar storm activity, and relay of 

distress signals from emergency beacons. They provide nearly continuous monitoring necessary 

for effective, detailed, and extensive weather forecasting, prediction, and environmental 

monitoring. 

There are two operational geostationary satellites for the North American region, GOES-East at 

75°W and GOES-West, at 135°W, plus an on-orbit spare satellite at 105°W. Each operational 

satellite continuously views nearly one-third of the Earth’s surface. GOES-P was launched on 

March 4, 2010, and was renamed GOES-15 once it was successfully on orbit. GOES-15 is the 

third and last in the current series of NOAA geostationary satellites. The current constellation 

consists of GOES-15 (West), GOES-13 (East), and GOES-14 (on-orbit spare). GOES-12, an 

older satellite, provides coverage for South America through its planned decommissioning in 

August 2013. 

GOES Series R 

Geostationary satellites remain the 

weather sentinels for NOAA—tracking 

hurricanes, severe storms, clouds, and 

ocean features. The next-generation 

geostationary satellite series is called the 

Geostationary Operational Environment 

Satellite–R Series (GOES-R). The 

advanced spacecraft and instrument 

technology used on the GOES-R Series 

will result in more timely and accurate 

weather forecasts. It will improve support 

for the detection and observations of 

meteorological phenomena and directly 

benefit public safety, protection of 

property, and ultimately, economic health 

and development. The GOES-R 

Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) will 

scan its field of view on the Earth nearly 

five times faster, with more than three 

times the spectral coverage and four times 

the spatial resolution of the current GOES. 

GOES-R will provide users such as 

meteorologists and government agencies 

with approximately 60 times the amount of data currently provided. A new instrument, the 

Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), will be capable of measuring total lightning activity 

Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite–R 

Series (GOES-R). Image courtesy GOES-R Series 

Program and Lockheed Martin Space Systems 

Company 
Basic Services 

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continuously day and night with a horizontal resolution on the order of 10 km and detection 

efficiency ranging between 70-90%. 

To ensure user readiness, forecasters and other users must have access to prototype advanced 

products within their operational environment well before launch. The GOES-R Proving Ground 

(http://www.goes-r.gov/users/proving-ground.html) engages the National Weather Service 

(NWS) forecast, watch and warning community and other agency users in pre-operational 

demonstrations of the new and advanced capabilities to be available from GOES-R compared to 

the current GOES constellation. Examples of the advanced products include improved volcanic 

ash detection, lightning detection, 1-min interval rapid scan imagery, dust and aerosol detection, 

and synthetic cloud and moisture imagery. A key component of the GOES-R Proving Ground is 

the two-way interaction between the researchers who introduce new products and techniques and 

the forecasters who then provide feedback and ideas for improvements that can best be 

incorporated into NOAA’s integrated observing and analysis operations. 

GOES-R is a collaborative development and acquisition effort between NOAA and NASA. In 

FY 2014, the GOES-R Series Program plans to continue development of the GOES-R spacecraft 

to meet phased instrument delivery milestones which began in 2013. Development of the Core 

Ground and Antenna Systems will also continue. The GOES-R satellite has a planned launch 

readiness for late 2015. 

NOAA/NESDIS Data Centers 

National Climatic Data Center 

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is the largest climate data center in the world. See 

Climate Services for additional details. 

National Geophysical Data Center 

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), located in Boulder Colorado, provides 

long-term scientific data stewardship for the Nation's geophysical data, ensuring quality, 

integrity, and accessibility. The NGDC builds and maintains long-term archives of scientific 

data, with a special emphasis on scientific stewardship of data acquired by NOAA observing 

systems. The NGDC provides stewardship, products, and services for data from the Sun to the 

Earth's sea floor, including Earth observations from space. NGDC is one of two operational sites 

for NOAA’s Comprehensive Large Array-Data Stewardship System (CLASS) that provides a 

permanent archive for all NOAA satellite observations. 

Key NGDC data sets include: 

 Global bathymetry 

 Long-term solar observations 

 Marine Geophysical data sets 

 Geological Hazards 

 In situ and remotely sensed space environment 

 Global Nighttime Lights imagery 
Basic Services 

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NGDC plays an integral role in the Nation's research into the environment, at the same time 

providing public domain data to a wide group of users. NGDC works with contributors of 

scientific data to prepare documented, reliable data sets, and is currently maintaining more than 

850 digital and analog data sets; and continually develops data management programs that reflect 

the changing world of geophysics in an era of electronic data access. 

NGDC’s unique capabilities have attracted other mission-related functions to the Center. NGDC 

is responsible for the development and maintenance of the World Magnetic Model for the 

Department of Defense. NGDC is the lead for data management and integration to the U.S. 

Extended Continental Shelf Project under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

NGDC operates the World Data Service for Geophysics for the International Council of Science 

under the auspices of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The NGDC is active in many 

international programs, offering scientists around the world access to global databases through 

international exchange. 

Natural Hazards Coastal Inundation Modeling and Mapping. Tsunamis are low-frequency, but 

high-impact, events that can cause a considerable number of fatalities, inflict major damage, and 

cause significant economic loss to large sections of the Nation’s coastline. Since 1900 more than 

200 tsunami events have affected the coasts of the United States and its territories, causing more 

than 500 deaths. To improve the tsunami forecast capability and mitigate the impacts of tsunami 

and other coastal flooding hazards, NGDC continues to develop high-resolution coastal digital 

elevation models (DEM) for inundation modeling and mapping. NGDC is also researching how 

variations in the DEM methodology affect the inundation model results and comparing these 

results to past tsunami event data. The purpose of the research is to better understand how 

different data processing methods affect DEM development and to use this knowledge to 

develop the most accurate coastal DEM generating inundation results validated by historical 

data. Emergency managers in coastal communities around the United States and its territories 

use DEMs and inundation modeling to guide evacuation planning. Improving DEMs will result 

in improved forecasts and improved inundation products supporting local community emergency 

managers and planners, thereby saving lives and money. 

Geomagnetic Field Modeling For Improved Navigation. The NGDC geomagnetism group 

develops and produces magnetic field models for navigation and pointing, which are used in a 

multitude of defense and civilian applications. Production of the World Magnetic Model, the 

standard magnetic model for DoD and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is sponsored by 

the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The geomagnetism group also leads the 

production and distribution of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field. These main 

magnetic field models represent approximately 90 percent of the magnetic field that influences a 

compass on or near the surface of the Earth. NGDC continues to develop improved magnetic 

models, addressing the additional magnetic influences affecting navigation by land, sea, and air. 

Making use of its extensive holdings of satellite, airborne, and marine magnetic data, NGDC is 

developing new high-resolution magnetic field models. Recent products include animations of 

the model results for the change in the magnetic field from 1590 to 2010, a three-arc-minute 

World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map, and the extended magnetic reference model to spherical 

harmonic degree 720 (NGDC-720). The NGDC-720 model corresponds to a 15-arc-minute 

model resolution. 
Basic Services 

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National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) 

For over 50 years, NODC has served the Nation with unmatched expertise in the scientific 

stewardship of marine data and information. NODC manages the world's largest collection of freely 

available oceanographic data, provides a record of Earth’s changing environment, and supports 

numerous research and operational applications. NODC maintains and updates a national ocean 

information archive with environmental data acquired from national and international activities. This 

information includes physical, biological, and chemical measurements derived from in situ

oceanographic observations, satellite remote sensing of the oceans, and ocean model simulations, 

including water temperature data dating back to the late 1700’s and measuring thousands of meters 

deep. 

In addition, NODC also manages the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), located 

in Stennis Space Center, MS and the NOAA Central Library, in Silver Spring, MD. NCDDC 

provides coastal data management expertise including metadata training, while the NOAA Central 

Library provides scientific journals, rare books, historical photo collections and maps. Working 

cooperatively, the data center divisions provide products and services to scientists, engineers, policy 

makers, and other users in the United States and around the world.

NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

The NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) operates a fleet of survey ships 

and aircraft to support NOAA’s mission goals. NOAA’s ship fleet includes oceanographic and 

atmospheric research vessels. The NOAA aircraft fleet includes aircraft that collect 

environmental and geographic data essential to NOAA hurricane and other severe weather and 

atmospheric research and aircraft that conduct aerial surveys to forecast water supply and 

flooding potential from snow melt. 

NOAA vessels make weather and ocean observations in the marine environment. Over 50,000 

automated observations are submitted per year through the World Meteorological Organization’s 

(WMO) Voluntary Observing Ships scheme. NOAA vessels also support NOAA’s NDBC in 

recovery of buoys that have been disabled or gone adrift. 

NOAA supports a broad range of meteorological activities and projects with its fleet of aircraft, 

based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Three of its nine aircraft are dedicated to 

this purpose throughout the year, providing valuable information to NOAA and the Nation. The 

NOAA Gulfstream, G-IV (SP) (N49RF), provides scientists with a platform for the investigation 

of processes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. With an operating ceiling of 45,000 

ft, the G-IV is a critical tool for obtaining the data necessary to improve hurricane and winter 

storm track forecasts and for research leading to improvements in hurricane intensity forecasts. 

The NOAA G-IV annually supports hurricane synoptic surveillance missions; the aircraft flies in 

the environment surrounding the storm at a high altitude, releasing Global Positioning System 

(GPS)–equipped dropsondes at preselected locations. The data from these vertical atmospheric 

soundings are received, processed, and transmitted from the aircraft to a NOAA NCEP computer 

site, where they are incorporated into computer models of hurricanes to improve hurricane track 

forecasts. Each dropsonde directly measure temperature, pressure, and humidity at the rate of 

two samples per second as it falls through the atmosphere to the surface and computes wind 
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speed and wind direction at a rate of four samples per second, using a full-up GPS receiver. 

Recent estimates of the improvement in hurricane track predictions utilizing this technology 

show an improvement of between 20 and 30 percent, which represents a savings of $10 million 

or more per hurricane in warning and preparedness costs. 

Two NOAA WP-3D Lockheed Orion aircraft (N42RF and N43RF) support NOAA's 

atmospheric and oceanographic research, as well as its tropical storm and hurricane 

reconnaissance operations. The aircraft’s research and navigation systems provide detailed 

spatial and temporal observations of a wide range of atmospheric and oceanic parameters. 

NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) develops and calibrates specialized instruments, 

installs and integrates user-supplied instrumentation into the aircraft and data network, and 

processes data for immediate satellite transmission or future analysis. The NOAA WP-3D 

aircraft, while executing the complex flight patterns required for hurricane research, also provide 

storm data to the NHC in real time, transmitting flight level data and GPS dropsonde messages, 

as well as radar images transmitted via their multiple aircraft-satellite data links. The stepped 

frequency microwave radiometers (SFMR) on the NOAA WP-3D are used to map the surface 

wind fields in and around hurricanes and tropical storms. Real-time surface wind speed maps are 

critical to providing more accurate forecasts of the extent of hurricane and tropical storm force 

winds. 

During each hurricane season, the two NOAA WP-3Ds support several major research 

experiments in support of NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division (HRD) of NOAA’s Atlantic 

Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories in its Intensity Forecast Experiment (IFEX), an 

ongoing program studying hurricane genesis, rapid intensification, and other related experiments. 

A promising part of this research effort is the collaboration with NOAA’s EMC in a program to 

obtain three-dimensional horizontal wind fields in developing tropical systems and hurricanes, 

utilizing the Tail Doppler Radars of the WP-3D aircraft. The objective of this effort is to obtain 

data that can be assimilated into the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) 

model for the purpose of improving hurricane intensity forecasts. Extensive descriptions of the 

various hurricane research experiments may be found in the HRD Field Program Plan for 2012. 

The NOAA WP-3D aircraft annually participate in both summer and winter operations 

supporting the NESDIS satellite validation program. Operating in regions of high winds and 

heavy precipitation, one of the WP-3Ds, equipped with microwave scatterometers and 

radiometers, provides under-flight validation of the ocean surface wind vectors sensed by the 

European ASCAT and Indian OceanWind2 satellites. Traditional venues for these satellite 

validation operations are Alaska or Newfoundland in the winter and the Atlantic and Caribbean 

regions during the summer hurricane season. 

These versatile aircraft also support international and interagency projects. Most recently the 

N43RF aircraft supported the FY 2012 Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) 

project from Diego Garcia. This project collected coordinated measurements in the atmosphere 

and ocean to capture process involved with the intra-seasonal variability such as the MaddenJulian Oscillation. The aircraft data will be used for evaluation and improvement of coupled 

atmosphere-ocean models. 
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Basic Meteorological Services 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a long-term partner with NOAA 

for building and launching U.S. POES and GOES civilian weather satellites under reimbursable 

arrangements. Additionally, after the failure of the NPOESS Program, NASA agreed to once 

again take on the role of the acquisition agency for the NOAA-funded JPSS Program. Several 

missions, including OSTM and Suomi NPP, are NASA research missions that were developed in 

partnership with NOAA and are now being operated by NOAA as part of the operational system. 

Jason 3, which is under development by NOAA, is a follow-on to the TRMM, Jason-1, OSTM 

series. Other sensors that are required for sustained climate measurements such as total solar 

irradiance, vertical ozone profiles and Earth’s radiation budget were transitioned to NOAA with 

the creation of NPOESS. In the President’s FY 2014 budget request, NASA assumes 

responsibility for these measurements in the JPSS-2 (2021) timeframe. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

Interagency Collaborative Research Programs and Projects 

The National Earth System Prediction Capability 

The National Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) is an ongoing collaborative project 

among the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Navy, U.S. Air 

Force, Dept. of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the 

National Science Foundation. The Nation's security and economic well-being relies upon 

accurate global analysis and prediction capabilities for the physical environment over time scales 

of a few days to a few decades. This need for better informed decisions is amplified by recent 

trends in the climate mean and variability, which reduce the predictability of average conditions 

and extreme events affecting commerce, defense, infrastructure and water, energy and other 

resources. ESPC will improve environmental predictions and help decision makers address 

critical policy and planning issues by extending the National predictive capability from hours 

and days to seasonal, annual and decadal time periods through improved, coupled global 

environmental prediction. 

ESPC builds on the progress made by the existing National Unified Operational Prediction 

Capability (NUOPC) partnership. NUOPC is focused on implementing an operational, global, 

atmospheric ensemble system based on the current modeling technology at weather time scales 

and developing initial Tri-Agency collaboration and management including a common research 

agenda and common model architecture. ESPC is focused on the next generation system, an 

integrated physical earth system prediction, engaging multiple federal, private and academic 

organizations in a combined research, development and operational transition effort, including 

decadal scale prediction. Additional information links: http://espc.oar.noaa.gov/Home.aspx and 

http://espc.oar.noaa.gov/sites/ESPC/Documents/ESPC_Fact_Sheet2%205%20Dec%202012.pdf
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The United States Weather Research Program 

The United States Weather Research Program (USWRP) is an interagency program for weather 

research and the transition of research to applications. The member agencies include NOAA 

(lead), NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Navy, and the Air Force. The NOAA 

component of the USWRP has been quite active although the funding levels have been flat. 

NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), through its Office of Weather 

and Air Quality, helps plan NOAA USWRP priorities, implements the program, and monitors 

progress. In FY 2014, the USWRP will include the following projects: 

The Developmental Test Center (DTC). The DTC (http://www.dtcenter.org/index.php) is a joint 

operation between NOAA/ESRL/Global Systems Division (GSD) and the National Center for 

Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. Funded by NOAA, the DTC serves as the 

test bed for the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) community model (http://wrfmodel.org/index.php), which was cooperative developed by NOAA, NCAR and other agencies. 

WRF is NOAA’s operational North American weather model and hurricane model. In FY 2014, 

the DTC will continue to test and evaluate the Hurricane-WRF (HWRF) community model. 

Collaborative Program on the Societal Impacts and Economic Benefits of Weather 

Information (Societal Impacts Program or SIP). The USWRP provides most of the support for 

SIP (http://www.sip.ucar.edu/) and will continue to do so in FY 2012. Its mission is to be a 

clearing house for socioeconomic information on weather, to increase knowledge within the 

weather community concerning the human and economic impacts of weather, to better determine 

the value of weather information, and to improve our ability to communicate weather 

information to all public and private sectors. In FY 2012, the SIP will continue work to 

determine how the public understands forecast uncertainty and to research the communication, 

use, and value of hydrometeorological information, undertaking outreach and education.

The Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT). The NOAA USWRP provides support for the JHT, to 

evaluate and transfer into operations, promising hurricane observational methods, analysis and 

forecast applications developed in the research community. This testbed is located at NCEP’s 

National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. The USWRP will continue to support the JHT in 

FY 2013. 

The Hydrometeorological Testbed (HMT). The NOAA USWRP has invested in research and 

transition of research to applications to improve quantitative precipitation forecasts through 

NOAA’s HMT (http://hmt.noaa.gov/), led by the Physical Sciences Division (PSD) of 

NOAA/OAR/ESRL. The HMT seeks to improve regional precipitation forecasts, particularly for 

heavy, flooding rains. This support will continue as the HMT moves from the West Coast to set 

up a field program in the southeast United States. This project is operated in collaboration with 

OAR’s ESRL, National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), and NWS’s Hydrometeorological 

Prediction Center. In FY 2013, NASA and NOAA began their initial collaborative phase of the 

HMT-Southeast (HMT-SE) effort in central North Carolina. In FY 2013 HMT-SE, NOAA began 

to conduct the first of its long-term field measurements. In early FY 2014, the NASA GPM 

Ground Validation program will augment several of the NOAA measurement sites with 

instrumentation to measure the size distribution of raindrops. This activity will be followed in 

May-June 2014 by a much larger joint Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment 
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(IPHEX). IPHEX, led by NASA GPM and in partnership with NOAA, will involve added 

deployments of multiple precipitation radars and research aircraft to study precipitation and 

hydrologic processes in complex terrain in the course of validating GPM satellite precipitation 

retrieval algorithms. 

The Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) Testbed. The NOAA USWRP provides 

support for the OSSE Testbed. The OSSE aims to establish a numerical test bed that will enable 

experiments to determine the impact of proposed space-based, sub-orbital, and in situ observing 

systems on analyses and foecasts, evaluate trade-offs in observing system design, and assess 

proposed methodology. In FY14 the OSSE testbed will continue to provide expertise to NOAA, 

the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) partners, and academia. 

Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation 

The Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) is a partnership between NOAA, 

NASA, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force dedicated to developing and improving our ability 

to exploit satellite data more effectively in the United States. The JCSDA is a collaborative effort 

that allows the work required to assimilate the billions of satellite observations available daily to 

be shared by several agencies. This effort would otherwise be duplicated across the agencies. 

The JCSDA has the following goals: (1) Reduce the average time for operational implementation 

of data from new satellite sensors to less than one year, (2) Increase the use and impact of current 

satellite data in numerical weather prediction models, (3) Advance the common numerical 

models and data assimilation infrastructure, and (4) Assess the impacts of data from advanced 

satellite sensors on environmental predictions. By meeting these goals, the JCSDA achieves its 

objective of maximizing the nation’s return on its investment in global observing systems and 

modeling, and providing improvements to the U.S. forecasting system (civilian and military), 

which in turn contributes to protecting citizens lives and property. 

Wind Forecast Improvement Project 

DOE and NOAA have recently completed 

positive efforts to improve wind forecasting for 

wind power and utility system operators through 

the Wind Forecasting Improvement Project 

(WFIP). The project targeted the Upper Midwest 

and West Texas, increasing the number of 

atmospheric observations in the region and 

analyzing the resulting improvement in wind 

plant forecasts. The primary objective was to 

lower the cost to utilities of wind-derived electric 

power for all users, helping to enable wind as a 

cost-competitive energy alternative and leading 

to a larger penetration into the Nation’s energy 

portfolio. DOE and NOAA hope to build on 

these efforts by working on further improvements to foundational atmospheric model physics in 

predicting wind ramp and day-ahead events for areas of complex terrain. 

Wind turbines located in the North Site of the 

WFIP 1.0 Project Area. Photo Courtesy of 

WindLogics. 
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Foundational high-resolution rapid refresh models are used by the wind industry to develop 

short-term (0 to 6 hour) and day-ahead forecasts for wind plant operations. By improving these 

foundational models, industry-developed wind plant models will also improve, creating an 

economic benefit to the industry. The benefits of these efforts not only include better 

optimization of wind plant operations in the short term, but also reduction in spinning reserves in 

the day-ahead period, and valuable information to aid efficient wind plant siting and design for 

yearly and decadal operation. 

The WFIP demonstrated that, with added observational systems, capturing detailed data on wind 

speed and direction in the lower planetary boundary layer, initial conditions of the models could 

be improved leading to greater accuracy in predicting short-term ramp events. These 

observations included wind profiling radars, sodars, lidars, and wind measurements from hub 

height anemometers and tall towers. 

DOE contributed funding for WFIP and scientific expertise from its headquarters and within its 

national research laboratories, while NOAA contributes scientific expertise in collecting 

atmospheric data and in executing weather models and forecasts. 

The WFIP project was a successful model for developing public-private partnerships towards a 

common end goal. Wind energy companies shared meteorological observations collected on tall 

towers and wind turbines on wind farms with NOAA, who used the data for model verification 

and validation, as well as assimilation into its advanced, rapidly refreshed weather models. 

NOAA and DOE has for several years been encouraging renewable energy companies to sign 

data sharing agreements under which NOAA will maintain the proprietary nature of such data, 

while using them for research and operational weather forecasts to reduce risk for the wind 

industry. 

The WFIP was the first large-scale project in a growing number of joint agency efforts under a 

Memorandum of Understanding on “Weather-dependent and Oceanic Renewable Energy 

Resources” signed by NOAA and DOE in January 2011. The agreement set up a framework for 

NOAA and DOE to work together on renewable energy modeling and forecasting. 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

Continually improving the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility to prediction services is a result 

of research and development (R&D) within the NWS, at other NOAA offices such as OAR, and 

externally from universities and private corporations. NCEP/EMC uses advanced modeling 

methods developed both internally and cooperatively with universities, the international 

scientific community, NESDIS, OAR, and other government agencies. EMC is a partner in the 

JCSDA, which is designed to accelerate the use of research and operational satellite data in 

NCEP operational models. The EMC conducts applied research and technology transfers and 

publishes results in various media for dissemination to the world meteorological, oceanographic, 

and climate communities. EMC also participates in ongoing interactive research programs such 

as NOAA’s Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP) and the WRF community model. 

Furthermore, EMC is participating in the Winter Storm Reconnaissance Program in the Pacific 

through targeted observations aimed at improving forecasts across the country. EMC efforts in 
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collaborative development resulted in improvements to mesoscale and global models, as well as 

advances in hurricane track forecasts, climate forecasts, and air quality forecasts. 

NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) 

STAR’s mission is to create satellite data products using observations of the land, atmosphere, 

and ocean and transfer those products from research into routine operations. In addition, STAR 

supports the assimilation of the data from new satellite instruments into NOAA’s numerical 

prediction models. STAR calibrates the Earth-observing instruments of all NOAA satellites to 

provide reliable measurements for assessing the current conditions on Earth in a timely manner, 

predicting changes in conditions, and studying long-term trends in the environment. STAR 

works to create products that monitor atmospheric, oceanic, and environmental hazards; enhance 

NOAA’s infrastructure for remote sensing; reduce the risks associated with launching new, 

untested and very expensive satellites and sensors; and expand its support to satellite data users. 

Selected STAR Projects 

Improving the Prediction of the Formation and Evolutioon of Derechos and Associated 

Micreburts. STAR is using the combination of several satellite products (i.e. vertical 

temperature and humidity lapse rates, convective potential etc.) throughout the atmosphere to 

help predict the formation and evolution of strong convective storm winds that occur in derechos 

and their associated microbursts. A new algorithm, named the Microburst Windspeed Potential 

(MWP) Algorithm, is being tested using the current Geostationary Operational Environmental 

Satellite (GOES) measurements. It is being evaluated by several National Weather Service 

stations to assess its ability to improve forecasts of these events. Potential applications are 

assisting airports in planning for closures, rerouting of open ocean transit, and providing early 

warning to the general public. 

Precipitation Estimation Using Satellite Observations. Precipitation estimation data from 

satellites provide a critical supplement to other sources of rainfall information for flood and flash 

flood forecasting, water resources applications, and myriad other uses. In many parts of the 

world, satellites represent the only reliable source of rainfall information. Data from GOES 

instruments sensing in the infrared and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum provide 

high-resolution, rapidly updated rainfall information for hazardous-weather applications. More 

accurate estimates of rainfall can be derived from microwave-frequency instruments onboard 

POES and JPSS, but their less frequent updating makes them more suitable for longer term water 

monitoring. In FY 2014, NOAA will continue to develop the algorithms for the next generation 

of NOAA’s GOES. In addition, modifications to the current generation of algorithms will be 

explored, in search of better ways to serve the users of these data.

Leading the Suomi NPP/JPSS Sensor Data Record (SDR) teams to ensure high levels of data 

maturity and quality. In FY 2012, STAR scientists successfully led the Suomi/NPP/JPSS Sensor 

Data Record (SDR) teams, ensuring achieving high levels of SDR data maturity and quality for 

global weather, water, climate and other environmental applications. The SDRs are the 

fundamental building blocks for all applications of its satellite data. The maturity and quality of 
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the SDRs are critical for the success of the Suomi NPP/JPSS mission and its timely transition to 

operations. A high level of Suomi NPP/JPSS satellite data maturity allows weather forecasters 

to improve their forecast scores, modelers to make better predictions, and users to monitor the 

earth and disastrous events more accurately to benefit society. The Suomi NPP SDR data have 

already been tested globally with very positive feedback for numerous applications including 

weather forecasting, ocean monitoring, fire monitoring, power outage detection, and other 

applications to benefit the public. Future work in this area will continue to allow users and the 

general public to gain access to the Suomi NPP data for numerical weather prediction, ocean and 

environmental monitoring, and climate change detection. 

NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Laboratories and Programs conduct an 

integrated program of research, technology development, and services to improve the 

understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere and to describe and predict changes occurring to it. 

OAR programs, laboratories and their field stations are located across the country. Scientists 

study, monitor and model atmospheric and other processes that affect weather, air quality, water 

resources, and climate. By researching Earth’s atmospheric system, OAR improves the 

understanding of weather and intense events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and severe 

thunderstorms in addition to seasonal droughts, and the next century’s climate. OAR integrates 

these findings into environmental information products for weather support for aviation, 

hydrometeorology, emergency response, and climate. These products improve critical weather 

and climate tools used by the private sector, government agencies, decision-makers, and the 

public.

OAR Laboratories and Programs 

Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) 

ARL supports basic meteorological products and services through research and development in 

atmospheric dispersion, air quality, and boundary layer science. Primary research activities and 

programs are 1) using the ARL-developed Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated 

Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to track the transport, dispersion and fate of harmful chemicals and 

materials; 2) providing the Real-time Environmental Applications and Display sYstem 

(READY) that allows users to access and display meteorological data and run trajectory and 

dispersion model products on ARL's web server; 3) improving air quality forecasting models to 

address health issues associated with ground-level ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 

for NOAA and other researchers; and 4) designing, developing, and deploying meteorological 

and turbulence instrumentation for use on land and in the air. 

In FY14, ARL will: 

 Continue to apply the HYSPLIT model to track and forecast, as needed, the release of 

radioactive material, volcanic ash, dust, and wildfire smoke, and other hazardous 

materials. ARL will continue to provide HYSPLIT-Mercury assessments for the Great 

Lakes Restoration Initiative. 
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 Continue collaborations with NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration to incorporate 

the CAMEO/Aloha chemical source term model into the READY HYSPLIT interface. 

The end product will be a one-stop tool for the emergency response community to use to 

model local to global scale events. 

 Work toward the development of a five- year re-analysis dataset, generated using the 

Community Multi-scale Air Quality model, to address O3 and PM2.5 for the benefit of the 

air quality and climate research communities. 

Prepare and deploy the Best Aircraft Turbulence probe as part of the Fluxes of Carbon from an 

Airborne Laboratory (FOCAL) system) for a study over the permafrost regions of Alaska. 

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) 

Two major areas of AOML research are ocean-observing technologies and tropical cyclone 

research. 

Ocean Observing Technologies. In addition to the many weather-related observing systems, 

OAR is dedicated to improving the development, deployment, and monitoring of oceanographicrelated observing technologies and related data in support of meteorology forecasts. As part of 

this effort, AOML manages the Global Drifter Program. NOAA operates and maintains AMVER 

SEAS 2K, a real-time ship and environmental data acquisition and transmission system that 

reports atmospheric and oceanographic data from Ship of Opportunity Program. 

Tropical Cyclone Research. To improve tropical cyclone track and intensity forecast guidance, 

AOML’s Hurricane Research Division (HRD) uses in situ and remotely sensed data collected by 

aircraft, satellites, and buoys and computer model simulations of the inner core of tropical 

cyclones and their surrounding environment. An aircraft field program is used to gather datasets 

representing all stages of the storm’s lifecycle; these datasets are used to both support operational 

needs and provide the cornerstone of HRD’s research. The observations are primarily collected 

during the hurricane season using two NOAA turboprop aircraft and a Gulfstream-IV jet 

operated by NOAA’s AOC. 

The HFIP is a unified 10-year NOAA plan to improve the 1-day to 5-day forecasts for tropical 

cyclone activity, with a focus on rapid intensity change. Researchers at HRD, together with 2-3 

researchers at OAR’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), 5-6 researchers at 

ESRL, and 4-5 researchers at NCEP/EMC make up the NOAA core capability for hurricane 

R&D and play a major role in the HFIP. The objectives of the HFIP are to coordinate hurricanerelated R&D within the NOAA entities mentioned above and to broaden their interactions with 

the outside research community in order to address NOAA’s operational hurricane forecast 

needs. In FY 14, HRD will develop and conduct two tests of observing system sensitivity 

analysis in each active storm using the ensemble Kalman filter data assimilation system and 

NOAA’s operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model. The focus 

will be on developing synthetic airborne Doppler radar and Lidar observations from highresolution nature runs of hurricanes. 
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Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) 

At NOAA’s largest research facility, the Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) scientists 

(from four complimentary divisions) study and monitor atmospheric and other processes that 

affect weather, air quality, water resources, and climate. By researching the dynamic Earth 

system, ESRL improves understanding of what causes today’s weather, next month’s hurricanes, 

next season’s drought, and next century’s climate. ESRL integrates these findings into 

environmental information products from weather support for aviation, fire weather, to methods 

that improve critical weather and climate tools used by the private sector, government agencies, 

decision-makers, and the public. ESRL research is so comprehensive that it is impossible to give 

each program or project equal mention. The following highlight a very small portion of products 

and services we provide. 

ESRL has a rich legacy and continues its leadership role in numerical weather prediction. Its 

researchers are developing powerful new weather modeling techniques to better assess highimpact events and are working on the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model that will 

replace the current NWS operational model. In FY14, researchers will assess the HRRR’s 

performance at resolving complex storm systems as it runs on NOAA’s Zeus super computer. 

The HRRR is also an integral part of ESRL’s wind boundary layer research and The Wind

Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP), which is the first of a growing number of joint agency 

efforts by NOAA and DOE under a Memorandum of Understanding on “Weather-dependent and 

Oceanic Renewable Energy Resources”. Working with private industry and academia, WFIP’s 

goal is to lower the cost to utilities of wind-derived electric power by improving the foundational 

wind forecasts for all users, including wind power and utility system operators. In FY14, ESRL 

will plan another wind energy test bed, and has the goal of improving the accuracy of wind speed 

and direction forecasts, as well as forecasted wind ramp events at the wind turbine hub height. 

ESRL continues to be a leader in data assimilation, developing the Ensemble Kalman Filter 

(EnKF) scheme, which went into operational status in 2012. The lab has worked closely with 

NCEP in integrating the EnKF algorithm with the existing operational variational data 

assimilation system (known as Global Statistical Interpolation, or GSI), ultimately leading to the 

implementation of the hybrid GSI/EnKF system. This change has resulted in improvements to 

global weather forecasts, including high-impact events such as hurricane track forecasts. 

ESRL research provides a scientific basis for efforts to improve air quality, and will continue to 

monitor long-lived gases in Earth’s changing atmosphere to advance understanding of climaterelated effects of short-lived pollutants, atmospheric particles, and their interactions with clouds. 

Additionally ESRL will continue collaboration with USDA/USFS to identify and quantify 

emissions of gases and aerosols from burning of different biomass materials for improvement of 

forecast models that provide air quality information to the public and to responders on-scene at 

wildland fires. They will continue the INFLUX field study, which will provide information on 

meteorology, transport, and diffusion in an urban environment. 

In FY 14, researchers will conduct air chemistry and climate field studies in regions of intensive 

oil and gas exploration and development providing independent evaluations on ozone, volatile 

organic compounds and greenhouse gases. 
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MADIS is an excellent example of ESRL successfully leveraging partnerships with international 

agencies; Federal, State, and local agencies. This collaboration has extended NOAA’s 

observational network and acts as a conduit for delivering higher quality observations in 

common standardized formats and protocols to NOAA line offices and the greater 

meteorological community. The end result saves NOAA by eliminating the need to install, 

operate and maintain these observational networks. 

In FY 14 MADIS will continue to evolve to meet the needs of NOAA and the greater 

meteorological community by further collaborations supporting the Next Generation Air 

Transportation System (NextGEN), the National Mesonet and the Mobile Platform 

Environmental Data (MoPED), the Department of Transportation and contributing to the 

National Network of Networks (NNON). 

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) 

The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) mission is to advance scientific 

understanding of climate and its natural and anthropogenic variations and impacts, and improve 

NOAA’s predictive capabilities, through the development and use of world-leading computer 

models of the Earth System. GFDL scientists focus on model-building relevant for society, such 

as hurricane research, prediction, and seasonal forecasting, and understanding global and 

regional climate change. GFDL research encompasses the predictability and sensitivity of global 

and regional climate; the structure, variability, dynamics and interaction of the atmosphere and 

the ocean; and the ways that the atmosphere and oceans influence, and are influenced by various 

trace constituents. The scientific work of the Laboratory incorporates a variety of disciplines 

including meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, classical physics, fluid dynamics, chemistry, 

applied mathematics, and numerical analysis. 

Research at GFDL improves our understanding of atmospheric circulations, ranging in scale 

from hurricanes to extra-tropical storms and the general circulation, with an emphasis on extreme 

weather events and the interplay between weather phenomena and climate variability and change 

at regional scales. High-resolution atmospheric modeling is the central tool in this work. 

Ongoing research will continue to explore a potential breakthrough in predicting seasonal 

hurricane activity: atmospheric models forced with observed SST can skillfully predict the interannual variability of the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic, showing that the random part of 

this annual Atlantic hurricane frequency (the part not predictable given the SSTs) is relatively 

small. Identifying the processes that are key to determining tropical cyclone frequency may 

allow us to extend dynamical forecast lead-time toward one year. GFDL will also continue to 

explore statistical methods for using coupled climate models to develop long-lead-time forecasts 

of seasonal hurricane activity, and experimental forecasts are available on GFDL’s website. Even 

longer lead-time predictions are targeted through a vigorous research program on decadal 

variability, predictability, and predictions. At the heart of that program are efforts to better 

understand physical processes that contribute to decadal variations and predictability in the 

climate system, particularly in terms of the role of the ocean as a driver of decadal-scale 

variations. Augmenting this research are decadal hind-cast and prediction experiments yielding 

model-produced “predictions” for each year from 1961 to 2011. The ongoing analysis of these 

simulations seeks to evaluate whether predictive skill for near-term (decadal) climate forecasts is 

increased when starting from the observed state of the climate system, in addition to the 
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predictive skill that arises from changing radiative forcing. Preliminary assessments of the 

predictive skill in these simulations reveal that they have skill that is at least comparable to other 

international efforts. 

Complementing this effort is research to improve our understanding of the interactive threedimensional radiative-dynamical-chemical-hydrological structure of the climate system, from the 

surface and troposphere to the upper stratosphere and mesosphere, on various time and space 

scales. Continued research in FY14 will focus on a better understanding of the response of 

global and regional climate to natural and anthropogenic aerosol emissions. GFDL’s worldleading high-resolution models use the very latest numerical techniques to provide extremely 

energetic, realistic simulations of the climate system. Through their use in FY14, GFDL seeks to 

further scientific understanding of the role of the ocean and atmospheric constituents in climate 

variability and change. This research continues to exploit NOAA’s high performance computing 

capability housed at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Despite the relatively high 

computational cost, GFDL scientists believe it is critical to move to regional-scale highresolution climate models to better understand the causes and predictability of decadal-scale 

climate fluctuations, as well as the role of the ocean in critical climate change issues, such as 

oceanic heat uptake. 

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) 

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) develops and operates 

technology for scientific observations in the Great Lakes ecosystem. GLERL scientists acquire 

the data and develop information needed to improve our understanding of the Great Lakes 

ecosystem and support decision-making for improved resource management. Advancements in 

areas such as remote sensing, the miniaturization of sensors, and other data-gathering 

technologies have vastly increased the data gathering capacity of the scientific community. 

Additionally, GLERL tests and applies models for predicting the effects of natural and humangenerated changes on the Great Lakes environment. Modeling of the atmosphere, lakes, seasonal 

changes in ice cover, and the ecosystem dynamics of the lakes adds to our understanding of how 

the Great Lakes basin changes over the course of months and years. GLERL research on regional 

climate projections is based on atmospheric and coupled hydrodynamics-ice-ecosystem models. 

Research tools are designed to examine the effects of climate on regional air temperature, 

precipitation, water levels, lake temperature and thermal structure, ice cover, and ecological 

changes and trends. 

In FY 14, priorities for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) include 

continuing research, development, and transfer of remote sensing products from the Great Lakes 

CoastWatch Node. GLERL will focus on satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and moderate 

resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) ice classification and mapping. GLERL will 

also focus on continued data collection and analysis for the advancement of ice-ocean ecosystem 

modeling in the Artic. GLERL’s hydrologic modeling program will advance the GLERL 

hydrometeorological database, improve Great Lakes basin runoff and evaporation estimates, and 

continue to enhance the Great Lakes hydroclimate dashboard. GLERL will continue efforts on 

regional climate projection impact assessment and historic trends analysis. GLERL will assess 

the similarity and differences between model runs from the Coupled Hydrosphere-Atmosphere 

Research Model (CHARM) with model runs from other GCMs. GLERL will continue to 
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develop and validate modeling systems that contribute directly to projection of the overall water 

budget and levels of the Great Lakes, as well as enhances understanding of relevant climate 

change processes on a regional scale. 

National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) 

NSSL seeks to improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasts and warnings of hazardous 

weather events such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash floods, lightning, winter storms, and their 

associated impacts. Moving research to operations is a core part of NSSL’s mission. After more 

than a decade of development, testing and experimental evaluation, NSSL, in collaboration with 

the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), is bringing the Multi-Radar/MultiSensor (MRMS) system to NWS operations. MRMS consolidates and “cleans up” data from a 

wide variety of sources including radars, satellites, and surface observations to provide 

forecasters with the best-possible real-time analysis of the atmosphere at any location. This 

system has shown considerable improvement in radar-based rainfall estimates and provides 

forecasters with an ability to “mine” the data set to extract new types of aviation, severe and 

hydrologic weather information. By placing high-quality, remotely-sensed data in a threedimensional framework accessible to NWS forecasters, MRMS will be opening the door to 

exciting new possibilities in improving severe weather warnings and forecasts. 

Weather Radar Research. The NWS has recently completed the dual polarization hardware 

upgrade (developed by NSSL) to the WSR-88D to provide enhanced capability. NSSL is 

working to improve the WSR-88D software algorithms including the polarimetric Hydrometeor 

Classification Algorithm (HCA) by extending the types of precipitation automatically classified 

by the radar to winter weather precipitation types and hail size discrimination. NSSL is also 

actively engaged in a risk reduction activity for the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) 

technology with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry in designing and 

testing dual-polarized phased array radar panels required to determine the feasibility of using 

MPAR as the replacement technology for weather and aircraft surveillance radars (i.e. multifunction). Two accomplishments this past year included the development of dual-polarization 

phased array radar panels through engagement of industry partners (primary risk reduction 

element) and the development of “adaptive” scanning strategies using the National Weather 

Radar Testbed (NWRT) to achieve faster update rates (tens of seconds) from the phased array 

radar and have brought forecasters from the NWS into the HWT to demonstrate/evaluate the 

warning decision improvements that are possible with faster updates. The major MPAR risk 

reduction activities for FY14 are to demonstrate multi-function capability on the NWRT and to 

continue evaluating the small dual-polarized phased array radar panel. 

High Impact Hazardous Weather Research. During the spring 2012, NSSL refined and is now 

evaluating an advanced capability using high-resolution models to predict the initiation of 

convection 3-6 hours in advance leading to increased warning lead time as well as improving 

aviation planning and operations for the spring and summertime. In FY 2013, NSSL is 

generating a new ensemble analysis system that produces an hourly analysis of severe weather 

parameters used by the Storm Prediction Center forecasters during their operations. The new 

system is being compared to the current operational system in the HWT during the spring 2013 

experiment to determine if it provides better guidance and lead time for severe weather watches 

and warnings. 
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Revitalizig the Warning Decision Process. NSSL is working with the NWS to develop a new 

vision for the warning decision process, which continues to evolve as scientists and engineers 

work toward integrating the next-generation radar technology (e.g., rapid scanning phased array 

radar) and storm-scale numerical models to create a storm-scale ensemble prediction capability 

for the NWS. Within the next decade, NSSL envisions operational units using a Warn on 

Forecast (WoF) methodology; for example, a forecaster will use thunderstorm-resolving 

computer models for severe weather warnings in the same way as he/she does today with the 

current Doppler radar systems. NSSL believes that these enhancements to the operational 

weather capability will lead to a more accurate warning system that increases lead time and 

provides probabilistic information that enables the public to take the most reasonable action 

during a severe weather event.

Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) 

NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) improves weather and air chemistry 

forecast information and products by funding, facilitating, and coordinating research, and 

working with scientists and academic partners to transition this research into useful weather 

applications, watches and warnings. OWAQ provides outreach, linkages, and coordination 

between NOAA, other Government agencies, and the academia and the private sector. OWAQ 

seeks to accelerate improvements to high-impact weather forecasts by funding, facilitating, and 

coordinating cutting-edge research to improve weather predictions that will protect the lives and 

property of the American public and will inform weather-sensitive U.S. industry. OWAQ also 

supports social science studies in weather and a set of related projects to provide outreach, 

linkage, and coordination among NOAA, other Government agencies, and the academic and 

private sectors. 

In FY14 OWAQ will continue supporting projects, through the U.S. Weather Research Program, 

that improve high-impact weather forecasting in addition to the Earth System Prediction 

Capability (ESPC) project office. ESPC is a joint federal agency program that will provide a 

more accurate global ocean and atmospheric forecast system with longer skillful forecast times at 

synoptic, sub-seasonal, seasonal, and inter-annual scales through integrating and coupling global 

atmosphere, ocean, ice, land and near-space forecast models into an operational suite of 

prediction systems that reduce errors relative to current modeling approaches. OWAQ will also 

continue support of testbeds and high-resolution numerical model improvements to support 

better high-impact weather and air chemistry prediction. OWAQ will continue to fund social 

science research that helps to understand how society uses and interprets weather information 

and how to improve the communication of weather information to the public. 

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) 

Meteorological research at PMEL focuses on air-sea interaction research in the Gulf of Alaska 

and Bering Sea, as part of PMEL’s Ecosystem-Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated 

Investigations (EcoFOCI) project, conducted jointly with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries 

Service/Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Financial support for the research is provided by 

NOAA, NSF, and the North Pacific Research Board. 
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PMEL’s ocean climate research programs collect surface meteorological data from moored 

buoys and report in near-real time for ingest into global models. Data from PMEL’s PIRATA 

and RAMA tropical observing systems in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and from PMEL’s 

ocean climate stations at Ocean Weather Station Papa (Gulf of Alaska) and the Kuroshio 

Extension Observatory in the Northwest Pacific report surface meteorological data. 

PMEL conducts research on atmospheric aerosols and their impact on air quality and climate. In 

2014, PMEL is planning to lead the Western Atlantic Climate Study - II (WACS-II). The 

purpose of the project is to characterize the chemical and meteorological processes that 

transform aerosols and their precursor gases and lead to perturbations to the region’s radiation 

budget. Data will be used to improve simulations of radiative forcing of climate by ocean- and 

continentally-derived aerosols with a particular emphasis on African dust; characterize the 

emission, properties, and cloud nucleating ability of sea spray aerosol over a range of ocean 

conditions; and provide scientific information to support effective policy decisions. 

NASA Supporting Research for Basic Meteorological Services 

Research in Basic Meteorology and Atmospheric Science 

The FY 2014 Budget will fund research competitively selected in FY 2013 through NASA’s 

Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2013 (ROSES-13) grant application 

solicitation. Many of the research activities carried out in FY 2014 will be tasks initiated in FY 

2012 and FY 2013 based on the earlier ROSES-11 and ROSES-12 solicitations. Selections based 

on ROSES-11 and ROSES-12 are ongoing and are addressing diverse Earth Science research 

areas, including biodiversity, cryospheric science, remote sensing of water quality, atmospheric 

composition, and interdisciplinary science. For example, this year’s “Weather” solicitation 

invites proposals related to the development of two satellite missions recommended by the U.S. 

National Research Council (NRC) in its 2007 decadal survey (Earth Science and Applications 

from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond) and a third mission that was 

selected by NASA as a result of the Earth Venture-2 (EV-2) Announcement of Opportunity to 

advance weather forecasting and analysis capabilities. These satellite missions are Precipitation 

and All-weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH), Three-Dimensional tropospheric wind 

measurements from space-based lidars (3-D Winds), and CYclone Global Navigation Satellite 

System (CYGNSS), respectively. The PATH mission will provide time-continuous observations 

of severe storms, tropical cyclones, and atmospheric processes, while 3-D Winds will provide 

direct observations of global wind profiles. CYGNSS will study the relationship between ocean 

surface properties, moist atmospheric thermodynamics, radiation, and convective dynamics. 

Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center 

NASA encourages more rapid use of NASA’s observations in operational weather predictions. 

The Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) center at NASA Marshall Space 

Flight Center is chartered to partially fulfill this research to operation transition activity. The 

SPoRT center has become NASA’s primary research and operation transition interface with the 

National Weather Service for short-term weather predictions. Many NASA research data 

products are tested in near real time and disseminate to NOAA’s weather forecast offices. 
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NASA also funds external research proposals to collaborate with the SPoRT center to accelerate 

the transition of research data to at least one operational environment. 

In FY2014, NASA plans to continue the investment in SPoRT and the external research projects 

to accelerate the transition of research data to operational environments. Several proposals 

funded by ROSES-13 program element “NASA Data for Operation and Assessment” will 

continue the efforts in FY14. 

Technology Development 

Technology investments are aligned with the goals of Earth Science Division's key strategic 

document, NASA's Climate Centric Architecture. A majority of the investments are centered 

around the National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey1

 activities, but many support 

NASA’s foundational and climate continuity missions. Such investments focus on maturation of 

technologies to enable advanced space-based observations and modeling to improve 

understanding of the global integrated Earth system, including global and regional climate 

change. Earth Science Technology Program (ESTP) provides funding for instrument, 

component, and information technologies prior to mission formulation. Developing and 

validating technologies well in advance of a flight project help to improve acceptance and reduce 

costs. Projects are initiated each year through the ROSES solicitation, and the duration of each 

project is typically three years. For FY 2014, ongoing investigations will be managed in the 

Instrument Incubator, Advanced Information Systems Technology, and Advanced Component 

Technology areas. 

NASA Applied Sciences Program 

The Applied Sciences Program leverages NASA satellite measurements and new scientific 

knowledge to enable innovative and practical uses by public and private sector organizations. 

Projects, which are competitively selected through ROSES, are designed to discover and 

demonstrate new applications and facilitate adoption by non-NASA organizations. In FY 2014 

the Applied Sciences Program will continue and initiate projects across a range of application 

areas, including health and air quality, water resources, disasters, and ecological forecasting. The 

Program’s Capacity Building element sponsors programs and projects that improve the skills and 

capabilities of decision makers, community leaders, and resource managers in the United States 

and abroad related to accessing and applying Earth observations. NASA will build capacity 

through the SERVIR, DEVELOP, Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GOMI), and Applied Remote 

SEnsing Training (ARSET) program elements. The SERVIR program is a joint venture between 

NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides satellitebased Earth observation data and science applications to help developing nations in Central 

America, East Africa and the Himalayas improve their environmental decision-making. The 

NASA DEVELOP program fosters an interdisciplinary research environment for interns to work 

on applied science research projects with a local government partner under the guidance of 

NASA and partner science advisors. GOMI utilizes NASA Earth science assets to address 

 

1

 NASA and its partners ask the NRC once each decade to look out ten or more years into the future and prioritize 

research areas, observations, and notional missions to make those observations. The last Decadal Survey was 

completed in 2007, entitled Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade 

and Beyond. 
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regional priorities defined by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA), a partnership of the states of 

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and 13 federal agencies whose goal is to 

significantly increase regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of 

the Gulf of Mexico after hurricane Katrina hit the region. The ARSET project trains decisionmakers and applied science professionals in the areas of Water Resources Management and Air 

Quality Applications to use NASA’s Earth Science observations, tools, and models to support 

their decision-making. 

National Science Foundation 

To improve weather forecasts and public safety, the NSF supports basic research on 

observational systems, analysis techniques, and understanding of phenomena. NSF awards grants 

to single investigators or small collaborative groups working on specific topics, as well as to 

larger groups such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Center for OceanLand-Atmosphere Studies. Examples of recent award topics related to meteorological services 

include mesoscale predictability, boundary layer processes, and numerical modeling techniques. 

NSF also continues to support the analysis of data collected during recent major field campaigns 

dealing with tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, convection and chemistry, and the Madden 

Julian Oscillation. Interdisciplinary Research in Hazards and Disasters, which falls under the 

Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) portfolio in NSF, is a program 

initiated in FY13 and will likely continue for a number of years. The research funded under this 

program will cross disciplinary boundaries with a goal of improving the understanding of, and 

mitigation and response to, natural hazards. Meteorological and space weather research may 

potentially be funded under this program. 
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AGRICULTURAL AND LAND MANAGEMENT 

METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Agricultural Services 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) 

World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) serves as the USDA focal point for economic 

intelligence and commodity outlook for U.S. and world agriculture. The WAOB coordinates, 

reviews, and approves the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. 

The WASDE report provides USDA’s forecasts of supply and demand for major U.S. and global 

crops as well as U.S. livestock. The WAOB maintains the integrity of this report by ensuring all 

information used to prepare the report is consistent, objective, and reliable. The WAOB also 

coordinates all weather and climate information and monitoring activities within USDA. 

Because weather and climate have a significant impact on agricultural production, the WAOB 

employs meteorologists who specialize in preparing agricultural weather assessments. This 

activity is conducted at the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility (JAWF), which is located within 

the OCE/WAOB and serves as the focal point in the Department for weather and climate 

information. 

JAWF was created in 1978 as an operational unit and is a cooperative effort between the WAOB 

and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS)/National Centers for Environmental 

Prediction (NCEP)/Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The primary mission of JAWF is to 

routinely collect global weather data and agricultural information to assess the impact of growing 

season weather conditions on crops and livestock production prospects, keeping USDA 

commodity analysts, the OCE, and the Secretary of Agriculture and top staff well informed of 

weather impacts on crops and livestock worldwide. These assessments are integrated into 

USDA’s monthly analytical process to develop monthly foreign crop estimates of area, yield, 

and production published in the monthly WASDE reports. In addition to providing routine 

agricultural weather assessments, WAOB/JAWF meteorologists prepare special assessments 

when extreme weather (e.g., droughts, heat waves, freezes, floods, and hurricanes) has been 

observed or is imminent. Alerts of anomalous weather conditions impacting agriculture around 

the globe are also routinely included in a daily report of agricultural developments that is sent to 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Agricultural and Land Management Meteorological Services are 

those services and facilities established to meet the requirements of the agricultural industries and 

Federal, state, and local agencies charged with the protection and maintenance of the Nation's land 

areas. Meteorological services specifically tailored for wildland fire management are reported under 

the Wildland Fire Weather service category.
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USDA policy makers each afternoon. When integrated with other data, these routine and special 

crop-weather assessments and analyses provide critical information to USDA decision-makers 

preparing crop production forecasts, formulating trade policy, and coordinating disaster relief. 

In support of its mission, WAOB/JAWF receives a full suite of meteorological data and products 

from the NWS for use in their assessments, including surface weather observations, radar data, 

satellite imagery, and model output. As part of an agreement signed between the Departments of 

Agriculture and Commerce, WAOB/JAWF serves as the focal point for dissemination of 

meteorological data and products to other USDA agencies, including weather data received from 

the Global Observing System, a worldwide network of nearly 8,000 meteorological reporting 

stations managed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Additionally, 

WAOB/JAWF obtains data from the NWS Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) to support 

domestic agricultural weather applications. In recent years, the NWS, National Hurricane Center 

(NHC), CPC, and the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center have supported WAOB/JAWF by 

providing an increasing number of their operational products in GIS-compatible formats. These 

NOAA GIS efforts have benefited WAOB/JAWF significantly by increasing the speed and 

efficiency with which agricultural weather assessments can be prepared and enabling 

WAOB/JAWF meteorologists to more accurately assess weather impacts on agriculture. 

While many of the agency’s core functions are internal, WAOB/JAWF routinely disseminates 

information to the public. Each morning, a written summary of current weather affecting 

agriculture in the United States is sent to the Secretary’s office and posted on the OCE Web site: 

http://www.usda.gov/oce/weather/pubs/Daily/TODAYSWX.pdf. WAOB/JAWF meteorologists 

also routinely give public interviews, available not only through USDA’s Information Office but 

also private sector media outlets. In 2012 and 2013, for example, WAOB/JAWF meteorologists 

played a key role in providing assessments of the historic drought that impacted much of the 

Nation’s agriculture by conducting interviews with National and International news outlets and 

disseminating unique products and assessments via the USDA homepage and blog. 

JAWF’s flagship publication, the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (WWCB), is jointly 

produced by the WAOB, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and NOAA/CPC. 

First published in 1872 as the Weekly Weather Chronicle, the publication provides a vital source 

of information on weather, climate, and agricultural developments worldwide. The WWCB

highlights weekly meteorological and agricultural developments on national and international 

scales, via numerous maps, charts, tables, and text products. In total, these products provide a 

comprehensive illustration of the weather and climate conditions affecting agriculture, benefiting 

USDA decision makers and the agricultural community. Crop and weather information provided 

in the WWCB keep crop and livestock producers, farm organizations, agribusinesses, state and 

national farm policy-makers, government agencies, and foreign buyers of agricultural products 

apprised of worldwide weather-related developments and their effects on crops and livestock. 

The extensive history provides a reference source that is rich in climate and agricultural 

information, which is essential for episodic-events monitoring and analog-year comparisons. 

Although the main emphasis of the WWCB is on current growing-season weather conditions and 

agricultural developments in the United States, real-time agricultural weather assessments are 

also provided for foreign countries that are either major exporters or importers of agricultural 

commodities. While providing timely weather and crop information relevant to the monthly 
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Crop Production and WASDE reports (issued by USDA/NASS and USDA/OCE/WAOB, 

respectively), the WWCB keeps the U.S. agricultural sector apprised of weather conditions 

impacting agriculture in foreign markets, which could possibly influence production decisions at 

the farm level. 

In September 1994, OCE/WAOB/JAWF published the Major World Crop Areas and Climatic 

Profiles (Agricultural Handbook No.664) book. Knowledge of historical weather and climate 

patterns and past agricultural production in major agricultural regions worldwide is critical to the 

success of JAWF’s agrometeorological assessments, and this reference handbook provides the 

framework for assessing the weather’s impact on world crop production by providing 

information on climate and crop data for key producing regions and countries. Coverage 

includes major agricultural regions and crops, including coarse grains, winter and spring wheat, 

rice, major oilseeds, sugar, and cotton. World maps show the normal developmental stage of 

regional crops by month. No longer issued in a paper format, an electronic version of the 

handbook was developed to provide periodic updates to the printed version as additional data 

become available. The Major World Crop Areas and Climatic Profiles book and other JAWF 

publications are available online at http://www.usda.gov/oce/weather/pubs/index.htm. 

In the summer of 1999, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) was developed to help improve 

drought assessments in the United States. The USDM is a collaborative effort between federal 

and academic partners, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln National Drought 

Mitigation Center (NDMC), JAWF, CPC, the NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center, 

and the Desert Research Institute. Approximately 11 lead authors, two of whom work for 

WAOB/JAWF, rotate the responsibility of preparing the USDM. Produced weekly, the USDM 

is a synthesis of multiple indices and impacts depicted on a map and in narrative form. The 

NDMC hosts the USDM on its Web site at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu. The USDM, released 

each Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, is a key source of information for briefing USDA top 

staff on U.S. drought developments. In recent years, the USDM has served as a trigger 

mechanism for several USDA programs and, because the USDM is prepared in a GIS, it is often 

overlaid on agricultural data to illustrate and quantify the spatial extent of drought affecting 

various agricultural commodities (Figure 1). 

Similarly, the North American Drought Monitor (NADM) is a cooperative drought monitoring 

effort among drought experts in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The NADM was 

initiated at a workshop in April 2002 and is part of a larger effort to improve the monitoring of 

North American climate extremes. Issued monthly since January 2003, the NADM is based on 

the end-of-month USDM analysis and input from scientists in Canada and Mexico. Major 

participants in the NADM program include the USDM collaborators – 2 of whom are employed 

by WAOB/JAWF – as well as Agriculture and Agrifood Canada and the National 

Meteorological Service of Mexico. The NADM Web site is: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/tempand-precip/drought/nadm/index.html. 

A U.S. Drought Monitor Forum and a North American Drought Monitor Forum are held in 

alternating years. These meetings provide an opportunity for Drought Monitor authors, 

stakeholders, and members of the drought community to discuss the latest drought monitoring 

tools, drought analyses, and requirements. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor Forum was 
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held on April 15-19, 2013, in West Palm Beach, Florida, while a North American Drought 

Monitor Forum was recently held on April 18-20, 2012, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. 

 

Figure 1. Percent of U.S. corn area in drought, according to the July 24, 2012, U.S. Drought Monitor. 

OCE is one of several USDA agencies that have taken a lead role in the development of National 

Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), working closely with lead Federal agency 

NOAA and the Western Governors Association (WGA) over the years to address the specific 

needs of the agricultural community. The NIDIS builds upon existing drought monitoring tools 

and experiences, such as the USDM, to develop an early warning system that aids in drought 

preparation and mitigation. Recommendations for such an early warning system were outlined 

in a 2004 report from the WGA entitled “Creating a Drought Early Warning System for the 21st

Century: The National Integrated Drought Information System.” One of the early deliverables 

of NIDIS was the Drought Portal (http://www.drought.gov), which serves as the Government’s 

multi-agency drought interface. WAOB is working with other USDA agencies to provide 

relevant drought information to the public via the Drought Portal. 

As a result of the aforementioned activities with the NDMC, NOAA, and other agencies and 

organizations, OCE is a recognized leader within the USDA in the area of drought. In 

December, 2012, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between USDA and NOAA to 

collaborate on projects of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on establishing new 
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partnerships in the area of drought monitoring and mitigation. OCE enjoyed a lead role in 

developing the agreement and is currently working with NOAA to develop a work plan to 

identify near- and long-term deliverables and opportunities for collaboration. 

Throughout its history, WAOB/JAWF has successfully worked with International groups, 

including representatives of foreign governments and of multinational organizations. WAOB 

remains active in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Commission for Agricultural 

Meteorology (CAgM), and a WAOB meteorologist is currently serving on the Management 

Group of the WMO CAgM, helping guide Commission efforts to improve support systems for 

agrometeorological services. This position helps coordinate Expert Teams responsible for 

reviewing the operational applications of current agrometeorological data, analytical tools, and 

information delivery systems and making recommendations on the procedures, methodologies, 

and resources necessary to improve the capability for operational applications. Additionally, 

WAOB continues to support the World AgroMeteorological Information Service (WAMIS), a 

dedicated web server that hosts agrometeorological bulletins and advisories issued by WMO 

Members for the global agricultural community (http://www.wamis.org/). WAOB is 

collaborating with other WMO Members to expand WAMIS capabilities, including the 

development on a web-based GIS capability that will dynamically integrate weather and climate 

information.

Department of Interior 

Bureau of Land Management, Land Management Services 

The Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau 

of Land Management (BLM) utilizes airresource-related (air quality, weather, and 

climate) information in order to manage 

public lands in a manner consistent with 

Congressional direction as expressed in the 

Federal Land Policy Management Act 

(FLPMA). FLPMA directs the BLM to 

periodically and systematically inventory 

resources through a land-use planning 

process and to manage public lands in a 

manner that protects the quality of scientific, 

scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, 

air and atmospheric, water resources, and 

archaeological values. The BLM also 

requires air-resource- related information to 

conduct environmental analyses under the 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for agency-initiated activities and land-use 

authorizations and ensure compliance with pollution laws such as the Clean Air Act. The BLM 

must therefore obtain, collect, and analyze air-resource-related information to (1) determine 

baseline conditions of air and atmospheric values on the public lands; (2) evaluate changes in 

baseline conditions (trends); (3) understand the extent to which other natural resources 

(vegetation, hydrology, wildlife, range, minerals, etc.) are influenced by atmospheric conditions 

A Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS).
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so that informed management decisions can be made; and (4) to assist in developing models to 

predict future conditions; such as, atmospheric dispersion models to assess air quality impacts. 

The BLM obtains information of acceptable quality collected from existing monitoring networks 

operated by other agencies and programs whenever possible to promote efficiency and avoid 

duplication of efforts. Examples of these networks include the National Weather Service 

Cooperative Observer Network, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOw pack 

TELemetry (SNOTEL) and Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) networks, the National 

Interagency Fire Center Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) network, the Bureau of 

Reclamation Agricultural Weather (AgriMet) networks, the Community Collaborative Rain, 

Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network, the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), 

the U.S. Geological Survey National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP), and individual 

state climate offices. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

 Agricultural Research Service 

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency for USDA 

and conducts research on all aspects of agriculture including crop and livestock production, 

natural resources and sustainable agriculture systems, and human nutrition and food safety. 

Information about temperature, precipitation and wind spatial, temporal and intensity patterns are 

decision-making criteria for risk management of crop, livestock and ecosystem services 

management. Climate change research is conducted on the mitigation of the impacts of 

agriculture on climate, and on adapting agricultural systems for resilience to the impacts of 

changing climate. Weather-related research is focused on the needs of daily management 

decisions for water shortages and excesses, high temperature conditions, and wide swings of 

temperature over short periods of time. The increasing prevalence of extreme weather events, 

including severe storms, hail, strong wind events, and frost occurrences at almost any stage of 

growth, influence choice of crop or animal variety, and management actions. 

Development of a strong genetic base is a foundational element of ARS weather and climate 

research. This includes new crop varieties that can withstand weather stresses and that will 

reduce susceptibility to losses from insect and disease exacerbated by the impacts of changing 

climate. New rangeland management systems are under investigation to incorporate drought, 

higher temperatures, and changes of snowpack into decision-making. Factors affecting livestock 

health are being examined to compensate for air temperature and moisture effects on animal 

health, forage quality and harmful pests. 

ARS research to develop management systems builds upon the genetic base to ensure that yield 

potentials are reached while maintaining environmental quality for ecosystem services. 

Development of measurement and monitoring capacity from satellites, airborne platforms and in 

situ systems, and the development of process models ranging from soil-plant-atmosphere crop 

growth and yield models to coarse scale models for estimating hydrologic status of watersheds 

are objectives. Notable ARS efforts include leadership for the development and validation of 
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algorithms for the upcoming NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, and the 

development of a satellite-based evapotranspiration algorithm currently being tested by the 

National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). More efficient water management 

strategies such as irrigation scheduling with thermal remote sensing information, and the use of 

non-potable water (“grey-water”) to augment irrigation water supplies during times of drought 

are being developed by ARS. Some immediate benefits are beginning to appear: the grape and 

wine industry is finding that reduced water usage also improves wine quality. Tillage and 

residue management, choice of crops during rotations, and timing of management actions are 

also topics of investigation. 

Weather and climate data inputs and understanding of weather-driven processes are critical to the 

development of erosion models needed to make decisions that will reduce soil loss and 

degradation of water and air resources. Weather and climate data from the ARS experimental 

watershed program is being used in the development of weather generators needed for models 

used to simulate weather events for research and decision support systems. 

The ARS experimental watershed system is transforming into the Long Term Agricultural 

Research (LTAR) network. A strength of the LTAR is its geographic diversity and the ability to 

obtain data that can be compared over time and space. The LTAR is building a data 

management system (DMS) that leverages experience gained from the ARS-NRCS Conservation 

Effectiveness Assessment Project (CEAP) DMS development. 
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AVIATION SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

U.S. Code Title 49 Section 44720 (49 U.S.C. 44720) designates the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) as the Meteorological Authority for aviation weather services for the 

United States. In this capacity, the FAA provides requirements for the provision of aviation 

weather services to the National Weather Service (NWS), which is designated as the National 

Meteorological and Hydrological Service Provider. The FAA is responsible for ensuring 

compliance with the services as defined and with maintaining International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices as specified in Annex 3, 

Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation. 

The Department of Defense (DOD) service branches (U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine 

Corps, and Coast Guard) provide their own aviation weather support services while abiding by 

Federal and international regulations. Each military service has its own meteorological support 

personnel except the Army, which is supported by the Air Force. Please refer to the Military 

Services section for details of military-unique aviation weather services. 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

NOAA/NWS aviation weather projects support increasing and improving observation 

capabilities, forecast products and techniques, outreach and training, operational adaptation of 

applied research, and verification of forecast products. These projects have the goal of 

supporting the FAA in the safe and efficient flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System 

(NAS). In response to requirements from the FAA and the international community, aviation 

weather products issued by NWS span the globe. 

Under an international agreement through the ICAO, the United States meets its weather 

forecasting obligations to the aviation community through products and services of the World 

Area Forecast Center (WAFC) Washington, one of two global services, composed of three 

component of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP): Aviation Weather 

Center, located in Kansas City, Missouri; NCEP Central Operations in College Park, Maryland, 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Aviation Services are those specialized meteorological services and 

facilities established to meet the requirements of general, commercial, and military aviation. Civil 

programs that are directly related to services solely for aviation and military programs in support of 

land-based aviation and medium- or long-range missile operations are included. Detailed aviation 

services/products for specific areas include, but are not limited to, ceiling and visibility, convective 

hazards, en route winds and temperatures, ground de-icing, in-flight icing, terminal winds and 

temperatures, turbulence, volcanic ash, and other airborne hazardous materials. 
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and the Telecommunications Operations Center (TOC) at NWS Headquarters in Silver Spring, 

Maryland. The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) prepares forecasts four times a day of globally 

significant thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, severe squall lines, moderate or severe turbulence 

and icing, and cumulonimbus clouds associated with these conditions. The forecast charts also 

include information on volcanic activity, radiological releases, jet streams, and tropopause 

heights. This information is transmitted by the WAFC Internet File Service (WIFS) to provide 

World Area Forecast System (WAFS) products and services, as defined by ICAO Annex 3, in an 

Internet web-based medium. 

The AWC, along with the 

NWS Alaska Region’s 

Alaska Aviation Weather 

Unit (AAWU) and the 

NWS Weather Forecast 

Office (WFO) in 

Honolulu, Hawaii, 

provides wind, 

temperature, and flight 

hazard (e.g., icing and 

turbulence) forecasts for 

flight planning and en 

route aircraft operations 

for the United States, the 

north Atlantic and north 

Pacific routes, and some 

routes in the southern 

hemisphere. This 

information is transmitted 

by AWC via WIFS in 

support of the World Area 

Forecast System (WAFS) 

for ICAO aviation data 

needs and in support of 

World Meteorological 

Organization (WMO) Region IV (North America) data exchange requirements. 

Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) In addition to satisfying global requirements for aviation 

weather, AWC hosts the Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS), which makes available to the 

aviation community text, digital, and graphical forecasts, analyses, and observations of aviationrelated weather variables. The ADDS serves as a platform for aviation weather products 

emerging from the FAA Aviation Weather Research Program and transitioning to operations. It 

has become an invaluable resource to users, especially in the U.S. general aviation community. 

The AWC’s upgraded website infrastructure capitalizes on its FAA certification as a Qualified 

Internet Communications Provider, and the enhanced web presence provides increased levels of 

data reliability for users. 

The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) has the responsibility, as part of 

the World Area Forecast Center, Washington, to provide global 

weather forecasts of significant weather phenomena. Presently, the 

AWC produces these High Level Significant Weather charts covering 

two thirds of the globe, both northern and southern hemispheres that 

are issued four times per day. 
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ADDS is a joint effort of NCAR Research Applications Program (RAP), Global Systems 

Division (GSD) of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), the National Centers for 

Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Aviation Weather Center (AWC) and the FAA. It is run 

operationally by NWS at the AWC and can be viewed on the internet at 

http://www.aviationweather.gov/adds. 

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) The United States, in agreement with ICAO, operates 

two VAACs as entities within NOAA. One of these, the Anchorage VAAC, is part of the 

AAWU located in Anchorage, Alaska, and works closely with the Alaska Volcano Observatory. 

The second VAAC, which is part of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and 

Information Service (NESDIS) and NCEP, is located in a new facility in College Park, 

Maryland. The VAACs monitor volcanic activity through satellite remote sensing, provide initial 

notification of a volcanic eruption upon detection, and forecast volcanic ash plume movement 

and evolution. 

A recent change is the assignment of a small cadre of meteorologists to the FAA Air Traffic 

Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) to provide decision support to strategic planning 

and flow control for the NAS. These meteorologists work with a NWS Headquarters liaison to 

the ATCSCC to ensure continuity of support to the planners and to expedite analysis should 

questions or problems arise. 

Under an agreement with the FAA, NWS meteorologists are assigned to Center Weather Service 

Units (CWSUs) located in each of the 21 FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs). 

The CWSUs are currently staffed by 84 NWS meteorologists (4 at each of the 21 ARTCCs) to 

provide real-time support and decision assistance concerning weather impacts on air traffic. In 

addition to supporting the ARTCCs, the CWSUs provide meteorological support to en route 

centers, Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities, and airport towers. Because CWSU forecast 

support is embedded within the aviation mission, forecasters can focus on specific customer 

needs. In one example, a specialized marine stratus display system was developed to address the 

difficult issue of fog formation and dissipation in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Francisco 

stratus system is used operationally by the CWSU forecaster, WFO aviation forecaster, FAA 

traffic managers, and airline meteorologists. 

To operationally support the needs of aviation users today, the NWS WFOs prepare Terminal 

Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs) up to eight times daily, with amendments as needed, for more than 

660 public-use airports in the United States and its territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. 

Thus, the NWS, through three Meteorological Watch Offices (MWO) and the two VAACs, 

provides large-scale, global aviation functions that can be sensibly centralized, while the NWS 

WFOs and CWSUs discharge local aviation functions. Additionally, NCEP’s Environmental 

Modeling Center (EMC) supplies global gridded model data of temperature, winds, and humidity 

twice daily for flight levels from 5,000 to 45,000 feet. 

NWS’s Aviation Weather Services Program funds a broad range of initiatives designed to 

improve the delivery of aviation weather information to NAS users. These initiatives include the 

acquisition of aircraft-mounted water vapor sensors; development of software, tools, and training 

programs to enhance forecaster effectiveness; and development of products to improve weather 
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information availability to the aviation community. NWS’s NextGen Weather Program provides 

funds for the development and implementation of improvements to accuracy and accessibility of 

aviation weather information, aimed at meeting the goals of the Next-Generation Air 

Transportation System (NextGen).

NWS International Obligations National Weather Service meets international commitments 

through participation as consultants to FAA in ICAO groups, ad hoc task forces, and project 

teams. In addition, NWS leads or participates in a number of World Meteorological 

Organization (WMO) teams chartered by the WMO Commission on Aeronautical Meteorology. 

These teams include the Expert Team (ET) on Governance and Partnership (lead); the ET on 

Meteorological Services for Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Meteorological Information 

Exchange, which partners with ICAO’s MARIE-PT; and the ET for Education, Training, and 

Competencies. 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

Timely and accurate weather observations and forecasts are essential to aviation safety and 

making the best use of aviation capacity. Pilots need to know the direction and speed of winds 

aloft in order to take advantage of tailwinds and minimize the effect of headwinds. They also 

need to know if there will be obstructions to visibility that restrict landings at their destination 

airport, and whether the runway is wet or dry and how that will affect braking action. Traffic 

flow managers and pilots use weather observations and forecasts to determine when they need to 

plan alternative routes to avoid severe weather. The FAA has a lead role in collecting and 

distributing aviation weather data – particularly hazardous weather. The agency distributes 

aviation weather hazard information from its own systems and National Weather Service (NWS) 

computer forecast models, based on data available from FAA and NWS sensors, to develop 

aviation weather information for use by air traffic control facilities, pilots, airline operations 

centers, and other aviation-related facilities. 

Weather Systems 

The FAA employs two categories of weather systems: weather sensors and weather 

processing/dissemination systems. FAA weather sensors include weather radars and automated 

surface observation systems that measure atmospheric parameters, such as surface temperature, 

prevailing wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and cloud bases and tops, as well as wind 

shear and microbursts. These weather sensors provide real-time information to air traffic 

facilities and to NWS centralized weather forecasting models. Weather processing systems 

organize, process, and distribute the sensor’s observed data, matched with forecasts, and blends 

National Airspace System (NAS) operations with weather information. Data from multiple 

sensors feed numerical forecast model ensembles whose output can be disseminated and 

integrated in national and local processing systems to interpret broad weather trends affecting 

aviation operations. This information is then sent to air traffic controllers, traffic flow managers, 

dispatchers, and pilots in a seamless suite of weather tools that look backwards and forwards in 

time and along terminals, intended flight paths, flow corridors, sectors, and regions. 
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Weather Sensors

Weather sensors are divided in two portfolios: Wind-Shear Detection Services (WSDS), and the 

Automated Surface Weather Observation Network (ASWON). 

Wind Shear Detection Services 

This portfolio includes the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), the Airport Surveillance 

Radar – Weather System Processor (ASR-WSP), the Next Generation Weather Radar 

(NEXRAD), and the Low Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWAS). These systems 

automatically detect wind shear conditions near 

runways and approach/departure corridors to alert 

controllers, who can then warn pilots of gust fronts 

and wind shear in the vicinity of the airport. 

Terminal Doppler Weather Radar 

The most sophisticated wind shear detection system 

is the TDWR. There are 46 operational TDWR sites 

serving the largest airports with the most risk of wind 

shear exposure. Using a three-dimensional pencil 

beam and fast update rate, TDWR produce detailed 

weather information across the entire terminal area at 

the surface and aloft throughout terminal airspace. 

TDWR’s unique products include Terminal Winds 

(TWINDS) aloft, as well as high resolution, rapid 

update of storm cells with height, precipitation, 

surface winds, wind shear, etc. Activities are 

underway to address sustainment of the TDWR and 

the FAA is investigating whether to incorporate the 

TDWR functions into the NextGen Surveillance and 

Weather Radar Capability (NSWRC). 

Airport Surveillance Radar–Weather System Processor (ASR-WSP) 

The ASR Model-9 and Model-11 Weather Channel detects six-level precipitation and 

thunderstorms that affect aircraft in flight, and the ASR Model-8 displays two-level precipitation. 

Airports with significant wind shear risk that have a lower volume of air traffic may be served by 

a lower cost alternative, such as the ASR-WSP, which processes the surveillance channel for 

weather from the ASR-9. The ASR-WSP detects and alerts on microbursts, wind shear, predicts 

arrival of gust fronts and shows precipitation intensity in a similar format to that of the TDWR. 

Activities are underway to address sustainment of these radars and the FAA is investigating 

whether to incorporate the ASR-WSP and ASR Weather Channel functions into the NSWRC. 

Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) 

NEXRAD was developed under a joint program of the Department of Commerce (DOC)/NWS, 

Department of Defense (DoD), and the FAA. NEXRAD are national critical assets that indirectly 

A Terminal Doppler Weather Radar 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

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support most weather information users in the United States. These 160 systems are long-range, 

Doppler weather radars that detect and produce over 120 different long-range and high-altitude 

weather observation products and special products, including three-dimensional areas of 

precipitation by type, cloud cover by height, storm cells, winds aloft, turbulence, and icing. In 

the short term, the FAA is funding upgrades such as Dual Polarization (Dual Pol) and software 

improvements to further exploit this extensive weather capability. Dual Pol is an important 

addition to NEXRAD that improves detection of rain/snow mix, in-flight icing, hail, non-weather 

biological targets (bird strike concerns), special DoD uses, and is expected to improve the 

forecasting of areas where in-flight icing will occur. Working with partner agencies, the FAA is 

investigating whether to incorporate planned long-range NEXRAD capabilities into the 

NSWRC. 

Low Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWAS) 

LLWAS both supplement radar systems and stands-alone at some sites. LLWAS uses an array of 

wind sensors located around the runway thresholds and along approach/departure corridors to 

measure surface wind direction and velocity. LLWAS compares wind velocity and direction, 

detected across the airport operations 

area, to determine whether wind 

shear events are occurring at, or near, 

the runways. LLWAS supplements 

TDWR at major airports and stands 

alone at other airports that do not 

have a TDWR or WSP. LLWAS is 

undergoing service life extension and 

the FAA is investigating whether to 

incorporate the functionality of these 

sensors into the NextGen Surface 

Observing Capability (NSOC). 

Automated Surface Weather Observation Network (ASWON) 

The ASWON portfolio includes several surface sensors: Automated Weather Observing System 

(AWOS), Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS), Automated Weather Sensor Systems 

(AWSS) and Stand Alone Weather Sensing (SAWS). These sensors measure weather parameters 

on the surface and report conditions to air traffic facilities and pilots. The terminal data they 

collect is important to pilots and dispatchers as they prepare and file flight plans. The overall 

surface data they collectively provide is vital for weather forecasting. Some elements of the 

ASWON portfolio are undergoing a technical refresh to keep these systems operating reliably. 

The FAA is investigating whether to incorporate its functionality into the NSOC. 

Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) 

The ASOS and other variants, such as the AWOS, AWSS and the SAWS system, have up to 14 

individual sensors that measure surface weather data, including temperature, barometric 

pressure, humidity, type and amount of precipitation, cloud bases and amount of sky cover. 

These systems feed data directly to local air traffic control facilities and support automated 
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broadcast of weather information to pilots and flight planning. They also provide regular, rapid 

updates for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/NWS forecast 

models that predict future weather conditions including adverse weather. A technical refresh is 

underway to keep these systems operating reliably. 

Digital Altimeter Setting Indicator (DASI) 

The Digital Altimeter Setting Indicator (DASI) is a system which measures the atmospheric 

pressure and converts the measured pressure value into the actual sea level pressure based on the 

United States (U.S.) Standard Atmosphere. The value computed is known as the Altimeter 

Setting Indicator (ASI) value and is presented to the Air Traffic personnel in a digital format, e.g. 

29.98, so they can inform pilots of the proper setting so the aircraft’s altimeter will read the 

correct runway elevation at touchdown. The local DASI display panels provide a five-digit 

display of altimeter setting that is viewed on the Light Emitting Diode (LED) readout on the 

front. A keypad (or other means) on the unit enables the station altitude and a correction factor 

(if needed) to be entered into the system manually. Up to 10 remote displays may be 

accommodated. 

Weather Processing Systems 

Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) 

ITWS consolidates weather information from automated surface observing sensors and 

surrounding radars, (TDWR and NEXRAD) bundled with NWS forecasts and value-added 

algorithms such as tornado detection and wind shear prediction, to provide real-time aviation 

weather information for terminal control facilities. It also projects movement of thunderstorms 

and gust fronts up to 20 minutes into the future. Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control 

(TRACON) controllers use the information to make more precise estimates of when runways 

should be closed and subsequently reopened. They also use the information to plan for efficient 

switches in terminal arrival patterns, which avoids inefficient maneuvering on taxi ways and on 

approach and departure, to accommodate a runway direction change as aircraft approach an 

airport. There are 34 ITWS Product Generators in-service at over one hundred sites (Air Traffic 

Control (ATC) Towers, TRACONs, Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) and the Air 

Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC)) providing common aviation weather 

information to 75 major airports. ITWS will receive a technical refresh in the near-term. The 

FAA is targeting to implement the ITWS functionality in a NextGen Weather Processor (NWP) 

work package. 

Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS) 

CIWS gathers weather information along the busiest air traffic corridors to help air traffic 

specialists select the most efficient routes when they must divert traffic to avoid severe weather 

conditions. CIWS is a second generation evolution from ITWS and gathers high altitude weather 

information from NEXRAD, ITWS, satellite images, and additional NOAA/NWS sensors. This 

process widens the common weather picture in between major metropolitan areas and expands 

en route weather situational awareness along busy jet-ways and air traffic corridors to help air 

traffic specialists select the most efficient routes when they must divert traffic flows to avoid 
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severe weather conditions. CIWS adds a winter weather mode, convective initiation, two hour 

look-ahead aviation product, and storm cloud height to help pilots and flow managers better 

decide whether to fly over or around storms. The FAA is targeting to implement the CIWS 

functionality into the NWP.

Weather and Radar Processor (WARP) 

WARP provides NEXRAD precipitation intensity data to controllers’ displays. WARP compiles 

information from many FAA, NWS and commercial weather sources for integrated display to 

ARTCC Traffic Management Unit (TMU) supervisors, sector controller’s briefing terminals, 

NAS operators of En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM), User Request and Evaluation 

Tool (URET), Advanced Technologies & Oceanic Procedures (ATOP), Dynamic Ocean 

Tracking System (DOTS), Alaska Flight Data Processor 2000 (FDP2K) and other 

automation/display systems and web users. WARP serves as a one-stop source for weather 

interpretation by the Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) forecasting stations. WARP 

sustainment activities are underway and the WARP Enhanced Weather Dissemination (EWD) 

upgrade is targeted to complete in 2013. The FAA is targeting to incorporate WARP 

functionality into the Common Support Services – Weather (CSS-Wx) and the NWP. 

AWOS Data Acquisition System (ADAS)

ADAS collects AWOS, ASOS and AWSS sensor data from hundreds of stations and transmits to 

the Weather Message Switching Center Replacement (WMSCR) for national distribution. ADAS 

correlates lightning ground-strike information to sensor geographic locations and passes this data 

to the sensor for incorporation in the One Minute Observation (OMO). Initiatives in 2012 and 

2013 include support for Automated Lightning Detection and Reporting System (ALDARS) 

Common Lightning format and support for testing of Internet Protocol (IP) sensors. This 

functionality is targeted to be subsumed under a future CSS-Wx work package. 

Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) 

The Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) makes available to the aviation community text, 

digital and graphical forecasts, analyses, and observations of aviation-related weather variables. 

ADDS is a joint effort of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Research 

Applications Program (RAP), Global Systems Division (GSD) of NOAA's Earth System 

Research Laboratory (ESRL), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) 

Aviation Weather Center (AWC) and the FAA. It is run operationally by NWS at the AWC and 

can be viewed on the internet at http://www.aviationweather.gov/adds. 

The FAA funds and directs the continuing development of ADDS as well as other experimental 

products being developed by the FAA’s Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP). The 

results of the latest ADDS development efforts along with new experimental AWRP algorithm 

results can be viewed on http://weather.aero/, the Experimental ADDS website. 

The success of ADDS (averages over 10 million hits a day) has allowed the FAA to showcase 

several important research initiatives including the Current and Forecast Icing Potential, the 

Graphical Turbulence Guidance, and the National Ceiling and Visibility Analysis. It is important 
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to note that these products have been through thorough technical reviews and safety risk 

assessments before release on ADDS as operational products. 

Weather Message Switching Center Replacement (WMSCR) 

This system, with nodes in Salt Lake City and Atlanta, collects, validates, packages, and 

distributes nationwide weather and Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) information. It is also a 

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) publisher of Pilot Report (PIREP) and Altimeter data 

which distributes One-Minute Observation (OMOs) Data and Lightning Detection Data (LDD) 

to several NAS users. Initiatives in 2012/2013 include migration to a common platform at the 

Network Enterprise Management Center (NEMC) and continuing support of National Airspace 

Data Interchange Network (NADIN) II decommissioning. This functionality is targeted to be 

subsumed under a future CSS-Wx work package. 

Weather Camera Program 

In the state of Alaska, lack of roads between cities, and important commercial/industrial sites 

make General Aviation flying (weather permitting) the only option for rapid outside access. The 

use of small aircraft is essential to everyday life. Limited weather information in Alaska 

contributes to a higher risk of accidents and can result in costly flight inefficiencies without 

means of backup. Without adequate local weather information about their destination airport and 

route of flight, pilots cannot make informed decisions on whether it is safe to fly or to continue 

their flight. Pictorial views of current weather conditions accessible to the aviation community in 

Alaska was established, and the FAA Weather Camera Program has installed aviation weather 

cameras as an aid to Visual Flight Rule (VFR) pilots operating in Alaska. The program funds 

procurement and installation of weather camera sites. Segment 1of this program is intended to 

fund the implementation of camera sites through Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. There are currently 177 

operational camera sites in Alaska with a total goal of 221 operational sites at the end of 

Segment 1 in September 2014. 

Flight Services 

Flight Service’s primary role is to provide weather data, aeronautical information, and flight 

planning services to general aviation pilots. These services are provided by flight service 

specialists via phone or radio, or directly through one of two online web portals. Flight service 

specialists distill the complex, voluminous flight data into critical and comprehensible 

information tailored for a particular flight. Alternatively, pilots accessing preflight information 

directly through a web portal are responsible for sifting through the information on their own. 

The FAA delivers these services through a combination of contract vehicles for services and 

automation systems and includes: Operational and Supportability Implementation System 

(OASIS), Flight Services for the 21st Century (FS21), Direct User Access Terminal Service 

(DUATS), and Contract Weather Observer (CWO) Program. 

Operational and Supportability Implementation System (OASIS) 

OASIS is a flight service automation system operational at the 17 Flight Service Stations in 

Alaska since 2007 and is owned and supported by Harris Corporation. FAA Air Traffic Control 

Specialists operate OASIS and site level maintenance is performed by FAA Technical 
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Operations personnel. OASIS provides integrated textual and weather graphics products, flight 

plan processing, emergency services, law enforcement, flight planning and regulatory 

information and other services as defined in FAA Job Order (JO) 7110.10. 

Flight Services for the 21st Century (FS21) 

FS21 is the automation system operational at the 6 Flight Service Stations operated by Lockheed 

Martin Corporation under the Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) contract. FS21 provides 

integrated text and graphical weather products, flight planning and flight plan processing, and 

other services as defined in FAA JO 7110.10. The vendor also provides FAA certified pilot 

weather briefers to operate the system. 

Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) 

DUATS is an internet based weather information and flight plan processing service that allows 

pilots to obtain flight services without the aid of a Flight Service Specialist. The FAA’s contracts 

for this service include two separate vendors – Data Transformation Corporation (DTC) and 

Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). DUATS provides aviation weather in both textual, 

alphanumeric and color graphical formats according to standards defined in FAA JO 7110.10. 

Contract Weather Observer (CWO) Program 

The Contract Weather Observer program was created by the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) in 1995, for the FAA and NWS to provide oversight and program management activities. 

The FAA would provide backup and augmentation to the ASOS, and the NWS would provide 

certification of the CWO personnel and maintenance of the ASOS program. 

In February 1996, a Service Standards Policy was developed and implemented by the FAA, 

NWS, and industry representatives for airports having an operational ASOS. The FAA then 

assumed sole responsibility for providing program management and supplying operational 

certified Contract Weather Observers to provide backup and augmentation of the ASOS at 

Service Level A and B airports. At Service Level C airports, the FAA uses Air Traffic Control 

personnel to perform Limited Aviation Weather Reporting System (LAWRS) duties which 

provide backup for the ASOS. 

Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) 

NextGen is an umbrella term for the ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of the United States' 

NAS to ensure that future safety, capacity and environmental needs are met. NextGen will 

fundamentally change the way air traffic is managed by combining new technologies for 

surveillance, navigation, and communications with workforce training, procedural changes, and 

airfield development. 

NextGen requires efficient consolidation of large volumes of weather observations and forecast 

information for processing, dissemination, and integration into decision support system 

algorithms to produce the more sophisticated aviation weather products of how weather will 

impact NAS operations. NextGen core technologies will allow introduction of new NextGen 

operational improvements. Efforts under NextGen include: CSS-Wx, NextGen Weather 
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Processor (NWP), ATM-Weather Integration Concepts, and NextGen Surface Observing 

Capability. 

Common Support Services – Weather (CSS-Wx) 

In conjunction with the deployment of the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) 

Enterprise Service, a common information publishing capability will be deployed which will 

include a first offering of aviation weather information. This subsumes the major functions 

ascribed to NextGen Networked Enabled Weather (NNEW) and will, over time, include 

additional information types – aeronautical information, flight information – as these move to 

new information protocols and formats. We are developing the CSS-Wx, extending the SWIM 

core services, to enhance the collection and dissemination of aviation weather information and 

provide access to all users throughout the NAS. The FAA is currently performing investment 

analysis activities and in 2014 will make a decision on whether to implement CSS-Wx. 

ATM-Weather Integration Concepts 

Currently, NAS weather data is not well integrated into either manual procedures or automated 

decision-support systems. To support the predicted volume of future air traffic operations, 

improvements are needed. Unpredicted changes in weather are of prime concern because of the 

significant impact and disruption they create throughout the entire NAS. The current system does 

not respond well to unpredicted weather situations or to weather conditions that evolve 

differently than expected. This effort will address required improvements to support proactive 

planning operations rather than adjusting for impacts after the weather has changed. Activities in 

2013 include technical studies for improvements to aviation weather information integration, 

development of an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant Quality 

Management System (QMS), and harmonization of aviation weather requirements with the 

international community. 

NextGen Weather Processor (NWP) 

The NWP establishes a common weather processing platform that will enable the consolidation 

of the legacy FAA aviation weather processor systems and host new capabilities. As input, NWP 

uses information such as FAA and NOAA radar and sensors and NOAA forecast models. NWP 

uses sophisticated algorithms to create aviation-specific current and predicted weather, requiring 

no meteorological interpretation, for publishing via CSS-Wx. It will perform Weather 

Translation, which will enable the use of automated objective weather constraint information by 

decision-makers and Decision-Support Tools (DST). The FAA is currently performing 

investment analysis activities and in 2014 will make a decision on whether to implement the 

NWP. 

NextGen Surface Observing Capability (NSOC) 

The existing surface weather observation sensor network is comprised of aging, stand-alone 

capabilities. Ongoing technical refreshes and Service Life Extension Programs (SLEP) can keep 

these sensors operating in the near to mid-term. While the current sensor network performs 

adequately, it is becoming increasingly costly to maintain. The NSOC will develop and evaluate 

methods to consolidate existing surface weather observation sensor networks, provide improved 
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capability, and allow sensor outputs to be more universally available. Activities in FY13 and 

FY14 include the development of a preliminary shortfall document, and technical/operational 

risk assessment. The FAA will determine in 2014 whether to proceed to concept and 

requirements definition. 

FAA International Obligations 

The FAA is the Meteorological Authority for the U.S. and establishes the requirements for 

meteorological services provided by the NWS to support international air navigation, as required 

by ICAO’s Annex 3, Meteorological Services for International Air Navigation. As part of the 

requirements process the FAA, as a member of several ICAO meteorological groups, represents 

U.S. interests and strives for global harmonization of meteorological products and services. The 

FAA is the voting member on ICAO’s World Area Forecast System Operations Group, ICAO’s 

International Airways Volcano Watch Operations Group, ICAO’s Aerodrome Meteorological 

Observation and Forecast Study Group, ICAO’s Meteorological Warnings Study Group, and 

ICAO’s Meteorological Aeronautical Requirements and Information Exchange Project Team. 

National Volcanic Ash Operations Plan for Aviation 

Under the auspices of the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator for Meteorological Services and 

Supporting Research (OFCM), the following 

agencies participate in the interagency Working 

Group for Volcanic Ash (WG/VA) and Committee 

for Aviation Services and Research (CASR): FAA, 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA), NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

the U.S. Air Force, and the Smithsonian Institution. 

The WG/VA has prepared a National Volcanic Ash 

Operations Plan for Aviation. The purpose of the 

plan is to provide operational guidance by 

documenting the required procedures and 

information products of the government agencies 

responsible for ensuring safety of flight operations 

when volcanic ash has erupted into the atmosphere. 

This document also provides information on how 

the FAA, as the U.S. meteorological authority with 

regard to the ICAO, meets its obligations to the 

International Airways Volcano Watch, which is 

sponsored by the ICAO. There are several regional 

plans in addition to the national plan. Regional plans 

are currently in place for Alaska, the Pacific 

Northwest (Washington, Oregon), and the Northern 

Marianas Islands (draft framework). Future plans are being developed for Hawaii, California, 

and Puerto Rico/Eastern Caribbean. These plans are available on the OFCM web site at 

www.ofcm.gov. Regional plans typically also involve State and local agencies. 

Volcanic ash hazards can be catastrophic to

aviation operations.
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USGS. Through its five Volcano Observatories, the USGS is responsible for monitoring 

volcanoes in the United States and issuing notifications about volcanic activity as it waxes and 

wanes at individual volcanoes. USGS Volcano Observatories use a combination of groundbased, airborne, and space-based techniques to interpret precursory unrest and forecast expected 

volcanic activity (including when eruptions are not expected). Data and notifications of eruptive 

activity from USGS monitoring activities are supplied to FAA and DOD to provide warnings for 

pilots and aircraft operators and to NOAA/NWS to aid in its forecasting and tracking of ash 

clouds. Because of the proximity of Aleutian volcanoes to busy North Pacific air routes, the 

USGS’s Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has been and continues to be a world leader in the 

integration of volcano observatory operations with efforts to mitigate the risk from airborne 

volcanic ash to en route. USGS notifications and warnings about current volcanic activity 

throughout the United States are available to the public at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/. 

The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland in the spring of 2010 and ensuing shutdown of 

European airspace focused attention on the global economic disruption that a volcanic ash cloud 

can have on the transportation of people and goods. USGS experts on the issue of airborne 

volcanic ash have been working with FAA, NOAA, and DOD colleagues, as well as with ICAO, 

to improve capabilities in mitigating the impact of the presence of volcanic ash in busy flight 

routes, both domestic and international. USGS also has established a new project that focuses 

exclusively on volcanic ash and brings together USGS efforts in research and development of 

new operational tools. One element of the new project is to collaborate with the NWS in Alaska 

on improving ash fall warnings for the public. The USGS has posted pages on its website 

devoted to practical guidance for dealing with ash hazards to transportation, communications, 

agriculture, water supplies, etc.; see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash. 

Recognizing that many potentially dangerous volcanoes have inadequate or no ground-based 

monitoring, the USGS recently evaluated volcano-monitoring capabilities and published “An 

Assessment of Volcanic Threat and Monitoring Capabilities in the United States: Framework for 

a National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS)” (available online at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1164/). Results of the NVEWS volcanic threat and monitoring 

assessment are being used to guide long-term improvements to the national volcano-monitoring 

infrastructure operated by the USGS and affiliated groups. The most threatening volcanoes—

those near communities and transportation infrastructure (ground and air) and with a history of 

frequent and violent eruptions—need to be well monitored in real time with an extensive suite of 

instrument types to detect the earliest symptoms of unrest and to reliably forecast behavior of the 

volcano. Waiting until unrest escalates to augment monitoring capabilities at these high-threat 

volcanoes puts people (including scientists in the field) and property at undue risk. Remote, 

isolated, or less frequently erupting volcanoes that nevertheless can pose hazards to air-traffic 

corridors require sufficient monitoring capability with ground-based instruments to detect and 

track unrest in real time so that other agencies responsible for en route flight safety can be kept 

apprised of the potential for explosive, ash-cloud-forming eruptions. 

NASA. Through its fleet of satellite assets, NASA is able to rapidly generate and broadly 

disseminate imagery and data products on the location, heights, and densities of ash plumes and 

related hazards. These data products fuel a range of research and applications investigations that 

enhance our knowledge of solid Earth processes, atmospheric transport and composition, and the 

impacts that volcanic eruptions have on the Earth system. Although NASA does not have 
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operational responsibility for observation and analysis of volcanic gas and aerosol emissions, its 

fleet of research spacecraft provides data that are directly applicable to the societal hazards 

presented by these phenomena. 

NASA's Earth Science Division currently operates five on-orbit sensors that monitor volcanic 

ash, gases, aerosols, and eruptions. The five sensors currently on orbit are the Cloud-Aerosol 

Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellite (CALIPSO), a joint mission between 

NASA and the French space agency CNES; the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)—a 

contribution of the Netherlands's Agency for Aerospace Programs (NIVR) in collaboration with 

the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)—onboard the Aura satellite; the Moderate Resolution 

Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites; and the Suomi 

National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer 

Suite (VIIRS) and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) onboard. Suomi NPP is in 

partnership with NOAA. OMI and OMPS data, in which sulfate aerosol is used as a proxy for 

detecting volcanic ash, provide very accurate maps of the horizontal distribution of volcanic ash 

clouds, especially during the first several days following an eruption. In FY 2013, NASA began 

making CALIPSO CALIOP aerosol lidar and imaging IR data and products available in near-real 

time for operational use. These data have been demonstrated to be of particular utility for 

improving trajectory model forecasts of volcanic ash, validating the location of volcanic ash 

determined by forecast models, and resolving the vertical structure and layering of ash clouds. 

NASA-built sensors on NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and 

Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) also support volcanic ash monitoring. The 

Sequence of CALIPSO 532 nm total attenuated backscatter curtains for 20 - 24 June 2011, 

depicting the passage of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic ash cloud (yellow) near 8-12 km 

(20,000-40,000ft) across a large area from north Antarctica to Southeast Australia, Tasmania, 

and New-Zealand. The blue lines between the curtains illustrate forward model trajectories 

produced from the CALIPSO observations of the volcanic ash cloud. (Kurt Severance, NASA 

Langley Research Center) 
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next generation of NOAA operational POES, the Joint Polar-orbiting Satellite System (JPSS), 

will also deploy an OMPS. 

The NASA Science Mission Directorate, Applied Sciences Program, Disaster Area is currently 

responsible for developing satellite data applications for volcanic ash and is focused on 

extending research in which the Agency has employed these satellite measurements to improve 

the accuracy of trajectory model forecasts to improve aerosol dispersion (ash concentration) 

model forecasts for the VAACS. The NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 

(ARMD), also conducts volcanic ash research. Its efforts primarily concern two areas; The 

NASA ARMD Aviation Safety Program’s, Airborne Hazard Sensing and Mitigation (AHSM) 

Project is developing technologies to improve airborne detection and characterization of 

Volcanic Ash. The NASA ARMD Fundamental Aeronautics Program’s Volcanic-ash Ingestion 

Propulsion Research (VIPR) Project is a joint research project between NASA, USAF, USGS, 

FAA and the three largest engine manufacturers to determine propulsion system tolerances and 

thresholds for ingesting various concentrations of diffuse, persistent volcanic ash for increasing 

exposure periods. This purpose of this research is to improve the understanding of volcanic ash 

behavior and impacts in modern aircraft propulsion systems, to inform the development of 

operating procedures for operating in or near volcanic ash environments, and to develop 

improved aircraft engines and systems. 

NOAA. NOAA/NWS is responsible for volcanic ash services in the United States. The program 

is currently managed under the Aviation Services Branch at NWS Headquarters in Silver Spring, 

Maryland. Although the main focus has been and continues to be on the airborne ash hazards 

(mainly impacting aviation), there has been a move in the past several years to expand into an 

“all hazards” approach that incorporates both the NWS Public and Marine Services programs. 

The NWS is a co-lead in the development of regional volcanic ash response plans in the United 

States. Plans are currently in place for Alaska, the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon), and 

the Northern Marianas Islands. Future plans are being developed for Hawaii, California, and 

Puerto Rico/Eastern Caribbean. These plans are available on the OFCM web site at 

www.ofcm.gov. As noted earlier, NOAA/NWS also operates the Anchorage VAAC and partners 

with NESDIS to operate the Washington VAAC—two of the nine such international centers. 

NOAA/NESDIS is responsible for providing satellite data used in detecting and tracking 

volcanic ash in the atmosphere and is dedicated to providing timely access to global 

environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the 

Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. Many of the operational 

environmental satellites operated by NESDIS (see NOAA/NESDIS in Basic Services section) 

have channels available to help forecasters detect and track volcanic ash. The GOES-R and JPSS 

programs are joint NOAA-NASA programs that will provide more frequent, higher resolution 

imagery for the detection and tracking of volcanic ash beginning in 2015. 

U.S. AIR FORCE. Through its 2nd Weather Group at Offutt AFB, NE, the Air Force Weather 

Agency (AFWA) provides volcanic ash surveillance and analysis for DoD aviation operations 

worldwide. Analysts continuously monitor all active volcanoes, generating more than 4,000 

bulletins per year. In addition to alert text bulletins, AFWA products include tailored satellite 

imagery, and graphical ash plume forecasts. It also provides the necessary expertise, information 

and infrastructure to facilitate critical backup for NOAA's Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory 
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Center. Although AFWA has no operational role in civilian sector volcanic ash monitoring and 

forecasting, coordination with other U.S. federal agencies is required to allow DoD flying units 

to maintain maximum operational capability. 

Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, Global Volcanism Program (GVP). GVP 

collects, catalogs, and disseminates information on ~1,600 volcanoes active in the last 10,000 

years with a small staff working museum hours Monday to Friday in the Natural History 

Museum in Washington, D.C. The aviation community most depends on GVP for volcano 

names, locations, summit elevations, and a set of unique volcano numbers (VNUM’s) for precise 

international communication about the source of eruptive plumes and related hazards. For 

example, Pacaya volcano in Guatemala (along the main approach to the Capital’s airport) is 

designated on VAAC reports as “Volcano: Pacaya 1402-11.” The numbers, or unique portions 

thereof, also provide a short-hand for labeling closely spaced volcanoes on maps. Each month 

GVP compiles the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network synthesizing information about 

volcano behavior, monitoring, and eruptions at variable time scales (months to years). The 

USGS and GVP jointly release the Weekly Volcano Activity Report summarizing eruptions and 

hazards during the passing one-week interval. Both reports appear on the GVP website 

(http://www.volcano.si.edu), which also features photos, eruptive histories, and other 

information, including the current list of data needed by the aviation community.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

The National Airspace System of the Future 

To address the growing demands on the NAS for the future, the 108th Congress and the George 

W. Bush Administration promulgated and signed into law VISION 100 Century of Aviation 

Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-176). The Vision 100 Act calls for an integrated, multi-agency 

plan to transform the nation’s air transportation system to meet the needs of the year 2025 and 

beyond, while providing substantial near-term benefits. The resulting Next Generation Air 

Transportation System (NextGen) initiative addresses critical safety and economic needs in civil 

aviation, while fully integrating national defense and homeland security improvements into the 

future NAS. 

NextGen weather development activities will contribute to: (1) Expanded Capacity by providing 

air traffic managers the ability to better plan for predicted weather impacts on air travel, thus 

maximizing air space usage and optimizing flight routes; (2) Improved Safety by providing pilots 

and air traffic managers the ability to better assess and avoid hazards to air travel, such as severe 

turbulence, and (3) Protection of the Environment by enabling flight route optimization on the 

ground and in the air, thereby avoiding ground delays or holding patterns that require 

unnecessary jet fuel expenditure. 

Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) 

The FAA, NASA, and the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and 

Transportation, along with the private sector and academic community, are working together 

with the Office of Science and Technology Policy to design and build NextGen. To facilitate 

collaboration and coordinate this work, VISION 100 created the JPDO, which sponsors weather, 
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information sharing, and aviation-related study teams as needed, to address specific issues and 

to facilitate longer term planning and integration of agency capabilities to support envisioned 

NAS operations. 

FAA NextGen Office 

Two principal FAA entities that report to the Assistant Administrator for NextGen are focused 

upon implementation of NextGen: the Office of NAS Lifecycle Integration and the Aviation 

Weather Group (AWG) under the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology Development. 

The role of the Lifecycle Integration Office is to ensure that the plans for the several NextGen 

strategic thrusts, called solution sets, are coordinated and integrated for efficient near- and 

medium-term implementation across the FAA. These sets include the Reduce Weather Impact 

(RWI) solution set. Common Support Services-Weather (CSS-Wx), discussed earlier, is a 

transformational program that will address weather dissemination within the Air Navigation 

Service Provider infrastructure. RWI is focused on improving weather observations, weather 

forecasts, and operational decisions based upon that improved weather information by 

integrating it into manual and automated decision support tools in the NAS. In addition to 

working with the AWG, the RWI solution set coordinates the investment analysis and acquisition 

of new weather systems and services within the FAA’s Aviation Weather Services Directorate 

(AWSD), NOAA/NWS, and other agencies. 

FAA AWG and AWSD Roles in NextGen Transition 

The AWG and AWSD have important roles in the transition from today’s aviation weather 

services to future CSS-Wx and RWI weather forecast improvements, and other NextGen 

Weather Processing capabilities, as the FAA moves from air traffic control to air traffic 

management (ATM). In the NextGen system, most communications will occur as digital data, 

much of it transferred directly from computer to computer. Relevant information will be shared 

easily among system users through network-enabled information access. 

The AWSD develops mission need and investment analysis for initial investment decisions for 

FAA aviation weather sensors, forecasting capability, dissemination systems, and integration of 

improved weather capability into the NAS. The focus is on NextGen, including collaboration 

with Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), with ICAO for advanced aviation weather 

standards, and with all the U.S. agencies involved in NextGen. This work addresses the high cost 

of weather to today’s NAS, where weather is responsible for 70 percent of delays over 15 

minutes and contributes to 24 percent of accidents and 34 percent of fatalities. Up to two-thirds 

of weather delays are avoidable, but despite a continuous flow of improvements available 

through aviation weather science and implementation solutions aimed at providing better 

weather information, weather continues to have significant impacts on aviation costs and safety. 

The purposes of this program are to reduce the number of weather-related aviation accidents; 

reduce aviation flight delays, diversions, and cancellations; improve the operational efficiency of 

the NAS; and harmonize ICAO standard with U.S. practices in aviation weather. 

The NextGen program in AWSD is composed of three elements: 
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1. The Concept Identification and Development component generates, analyzes, manages, 

allocates, and validates requirements in the NextGen aviation weather portfolio. It focuses 

on the early stages of requirements from their inception/generation to the investment 

analysis and subsequent requirements decision. It develops transformational (NextGen midterm and far-term capabilities), as well as evolutionary requirements (NextGen near-term 

capabilities). It formulates agreements between government and industry stakeholders on 

policies needed to meet requirements for airborne weather observations, including cost 

sharing, data access and distribution, data reporting frequency, aircraft equipage, and other 

technical issues. Finally, this program develops policies necessary for the allocation of 

roles and responsibilities in the provision of weather state information to meet requirements 

and U.S. commitments to ICAO. 

2. The Global Harmonization component carries out FAA’s role as the U.S. Meteorological 

Authority to ICAO. It promotes global harmonization through the development of ICAO 

Standards and Recommended Practices and manuals/guideline documents for surface and 

airborne observations/forecasts and global dissemination of aviation weather information 

that are supportive of NextGen. This work is accomplished through developing and 

presenting, to 12 ICAO planning, study, and operations groups, U.S. positions on issues 

arising from the ICAO Volcanic Ash program, the World Area Forecast System, the 

international Space Weather program, and amendments to ICAO Annex 3 and other 

guidance material to incorporate the NextGen concept of the 4-D Weather Data Cube. 

3. The System Performance component develops metrics that provide a framework for 

enabling the FAA to measure the benefits of weather information for air traffic operations. 

It maintains standards for surface observations for the backup and augmentation of ASOS. 

The development of NAS weather requirements under this program is an essential artifact of the 

following NextGen documents: the Weather Concept of Operations, the Mission Needs 

Statement for Weather (MNS-339), the Preliminary Portfolio Requirements, and the Final 

Portfolio Requirements. The requirements work in this program feeds later-stage activities, as 

defined by the FAA Acquisition Management System (AMS) lifecycle, of the RWI solution set. 

The Reduce Weather Impact Portfolio 

RWI is a planning and development portfolio to ensure NextGen operational weather capabilities 

utilize a broad range of weather improvements and technologies to mitigate the effects of 

weather in future NAS operations. This portfolio has two major elements: weather observation 

improvements and weather forecast improvements. RWI will address many weather problems 

including, but not limited to, rightsizing the observations network, transition of weather research 

to operations, development of weather impact metrics, development of weather decision support 

tools, integration of weather information into operations, weather processor architecture redesign 

and restructuring, and transition planning for legacy systems. RWI will conduct planning, 

prototyping, demonstrations, engineering evaluation, and investment readiness activities leading 

to an implementation of operational capabilities throughout the NextGen near, mid, and far 

terms. 
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A consistent and effective weather observation sensor network will be a cornerstone to improved 

NextGen weather capabilities. Currently the United States has fielded multiple weather surface 

sensor networks that vary in age up to 30 years. Ongoing technical refreshes and SLEPs can keep 

these sensors operating in the near to mid-term. However as the demands of the NAS increase in 

the future, the present array of surface sensor systems will not be capable of delivering the 

required functionality. In addition, potential NextGen weather observation requirements might 

exceed current surface sensing capabilities (e.g., improved weather model initialization for 

increased weather forecast accuracy). Current surface observation systems also contain 

considerable overlap and waste that should be engineered out of the NAS. RWI weather 

observation improvements will explore concepts for a next-generation surface sensing capability 

that can satisfy all current surface sensing requirements in a single system and be easily 

expandable to meet any future NextGen requirements. 

The second RWI element, weather forecast improvements, addresses the need to enable better 

weather decision-making and use of weather information in the transformed NAS. This need 

includes: (1) integrating weather information tailored for decision support tools and systems into 

NextGen operations, (2) implementing improved forecasts by transitioning advanced forecast 

capabilities from aviation weather research, (3) developing and using metrics to evaluate the 

effectiveness of weather improvements in the NAS, (4) developing probabilistic forecasts that 

can be effectively used in air traffic and traffic flow management, and (5) determining the most 

effective solution for a processor architecture to support these capabilities. RWI will propose 

recommendations for near, mid, and far time frames, including a recommendation for transition 

of legacy systems. 

Collectively the effect of the NextGen RWI portfolio will result in aviation weather information 

no longer being just a stand-alone display, requiring cognitive interpretation and impact 

assessment, with limited ability to significantly mitigate delays. Instead, weather information is 

being designed to integrate with and support NextGen decision-oriented automation capabilities 

and human decision-making processes. 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

NOAA’s commitment to the NextGen initiative is encapsulated in the concept of the “NextGen 

4-Dimensional (4-D) Weather Data Cube.” The “4-D” references weather from the surface up to 

aircraft flight altitudes, extending north-south and east-west, and including current and future 

conditions. The “Cube” will provide users more discoverable and interoperable weather data 

from various locations through a single access point using modern internet protocols and 

technologies. This “Cube” is not a physical database or system; instead it is a concept 

represented by: 

a. An information technology infrastructure comparable to those already employed by other 

government agencies and by industry which is flexible and extensible to keep pace with 

user’s weather information needs in a rapidly changing technological environment. The 

greater and easier access to NOAA weather information for aviation decision-makers will 

facilitate better integration of this information into aviation users’ decision-making 

processes and systems. 
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b. Aviation weather information data sets, consistent in time, space and among weather 

elements, providing a complete picture of how weather will impact aviation across the 

NAS. 

c. More accurate aviation weather information, achieved through higher resolution weather 

models, to improve air traffic managers’ ability to fine-tune their assessment of the 

impact of the weather on airports and air routes to safely maximize available air space. 

d. Advanced aviation forecast generation techniques and advanced tools and techniques to 

allow NWS meteorologists to generate aviation weather information faster and more 

accurately. 

The Single Authoritative Source (SAS) identifies the preferred set of data sources to be used to 

support collaborative air traffic management decisions. It is an optimal representation of all Air 

Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) required weather state information derived from the 

“Cube.” A subset of the published data will be designated as the SAS. The SAS will be used 

directly or translated into products depicting operational impact by the ANSP and will be 

accessible to all users of the NAS. The ANSP will specify characteristics of weather state 

information needed to support its ATM decision-making and the corresponding decision support 

tools. The NWS will, in coordination with the U.S. Air Force and Navy weather services, 

determine what weather state information best meets the SAS requirements specified by the 

ANSP. Information from any source, including commercial sources, can be used to meet SAS 

requirements as long as it can be freely distributed to all. 

With rare exceptions, the SAS will be the only source of weather information for the ANSP’s 

ATM decisions; however, it will not necessarily be the only source for other decision-makers, 

such as pilots, dispatchers, and military operators. Making the SAS both a support tool for the 

ANSP’s ATM decisions and a NextGen resource provides both transparency and predictability in 

these decisions and shared situational awareness for all NextGen participants. 

The “Cube” information will be available to users of the NAS and to the FAA Air Traffic 

Management community through Common Support Services – Weather Program (CSS-Wx), 

formerly known as NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW). While NOAA implements 

common weather data services, CSS-Wx will also implement these common data services within 

the FAA enterprise, and will utilize the weather data and information from NOAA for use in 

weather impact decisions for aviation. 

While development of infrastructure and services are being completed, NWS will continue to 

refine the science and applications needed to produce the higher resolution, more accurate 

weather information sets required by NextGen. The near term focus is on the transition of 

existing research technologies to NWS operations, especially in the fields of modeling and data 

assimilation. Development of advanced meteorological verification capabilities and decision 

support tools will also be continued with the goal of moving these capabilities into operations in 

the mid-term. Longer term efforts being considered by the NOAA NextGen Weather Program 

include 1) development of methodologies to dynamically determine which data sets are most 

suitable for designation as SAS data sets at any given time and 2) tools and techniques for 

improving the NWS operational forecast process to enable NWS forecasters to add value to high 

resolution, rapidly updated, automatically generated weather information. 
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NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)

Within NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Global Systems 

Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL/GSD) evaluates aviation weather 

impact variables such as icing, turbulence, ceiling and visibility, and convective weather and 

develops decision tools for NWS forecast offices, FAA traffic managers, and commercial and 

civil aviation. Specifically, GSD has and will continue to develop capabilities to allow the 

forecaster to integrate, view, and manipulate observations from current and planned 

meteorological sensing systems using computer-assisted data display and synthesis techniques. 

Improvements in weather and climate prediction are tied to developing and running finer scale 

weather forecast models and model ensembles on increasingly powerful High-Performance 

Computing Systems (HPCS). Central Processing Unit-based (CPU-based) HPCS computing is 

growing more expensive as hundreds of thousands of CPU cores are being combined to provide 

increased compute capacity. These large CPU-based systems require large and expensive 

facilities and infrastructure to provide sufficient power and cooling ($5M for construction and 

$1M annually to run). Given tight federal budgets, CPU-based systems are, therefore, 

increasingly unaffordable. GSD is exploring the use of Massively Parallel Fine-Grain computing 

(MPFG) systems, which can be 5-10 times faster than CPU-based systems, to run NWP models. 

By using MPFG systems, savings to NOAA for facilities space, infrastructure, and electrical 

costs can be substantial. 

Plans for FY 14 

 Development of decision- support tools for use at FAA Center Weather Service Units 

 Evaluate upgraded algorithms for detecting and forecasting aviation impact variables 

 Run several Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models on (MPFG) systems to 

determine performance improvements over CPU-based systems 

 Create product description documents and product schemas for the Request For Proposal, 

and subsequent documents, associated with the FAA's CSS-Wx implementation 

contract competition 

National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) 

NSSL is participating in the effort to help NOAA’s support for the NextGen initiative. Planning 

with the FAA and the NWS began in FY 2009 and is anticipated to continue for the next several 

years. NSSL is also working with the FAA’s AWRP to develop weather radar applications that 

enhance the safety and efficiency of the aviation community and the NAS. Work is focused on 

both convective weather and winter weather, with special attention to treating all WSR-88D 

radars within the continental United States as a single network. As part of this effort, the MultiRadar, Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system is being used to support intensive research directed toward 

polarimetric radar applications unique to aviation needs. Examples using WSR-88D dual-pol 

radar data include wintertime quantitative precipitation estimation, detection of icing 
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(supercooled liquid water) conditions and winter precipitation type (snow, sleet, freezing rain, 

etc.) and data quality issues unique to FAA users. Work has also begun on a proposed prediction 

system will involve building an algorithm to predict the porosity of thunderstorms and 

thunderstorm complexes/systems by applying pattern recognition and geospatial data mining to 

forecast fields from convection-allowing numerical weather prediction models. The algorithm 

will first be applied to members of a convection allowing model ensemble to diagnose whether 

the modeling system has any skill at predicting porosity. Then, assuming the ensemble has 

sufficient skill for relevant forecast lengths, NSSL will explore methods for using the ensemble 

for predicting the likelihood that a region or specific flight corridor will be porous for airplane 

traffic. 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Aviation Weather Research 

The FAA Aviation Weather Research includes the Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) 

and Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) Program. The AWRP program will continue 

research into understanding the geophysical phenomena in the atmosphere and around airports 

that present hazardous conditions for aircraft operations. Among these hazards are in-flight 

icing, convective weather, turbulence, ceiling, visibility, volcanic ash, summer and winter storm 

activity, etc. Additional work is being done to improve models and in developing advanced 

weather radar techniques. 

 Observations 

Liquid Water Equivalence (LWE) Rate Measurement & Reporting-Surface 

Snow/ Ice 

At airports in cold climates, a ground anti-icing/de-icing program is an essential pre-takeoff 

service. Decision making in a ground anti-icing/deicing program is the responsibility of the pilot. 

Pilots need to have the most accurate airport weather observation information available to 

support their ground anti-icing/deicing program decisions. Recent weather research has provided 

compelling evidence that snow precipitation intensity, which is currently determined by a 

visibility-based method only, can be more accurately determined by measuring the Liquid Water 

Equivalent (LWE) rate and providing this information as part of the airport weather observation. 

Pilots can use this enhanced information to more accurately determine their hold-over times. To 

capitalize on the federal government’s investment in ASOS, a cost effective way to provide this 

LWE rate capability is to implement it in ASOS. The FAA is currently pursuing ways to provide 

this capability in ASOS. This improvement will enhance aircraft and passenger safety and 

support traffic flow management. The FAA is also pursuing development of a commercial LWE 

Rate System (see In-flight Icing for details). 

Advanced Weather Radar Techniques (AWRT) 

The AWRT research focuses on monitoring and improving the quality of information derived 

from the Weather Surveillance Radar 88D (WSR-88D), TDWR, and Canadian and Mexican 

weather radar networks. To properly initialize convective weather, turbulence, icing and 

numerical weather prediction products, it is critical that ingested weather radar data be of high 
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quality. The AWRT research is focused on developing quality control techniques that ensure 

weather radar information is free from false weather returns caused by biological, clutter, or out 

of tolerance radars. Further research involves monitoring the benefits from the recently fielded 

WSR-88D dual polarization capability. Ongoing efforts towards improving the quality of 

Canadian weather radar data, which is being incorporated into various air traffic management 

tools, will continue. 

The AWRT research also involves techniques for mitigating gaps in individual weather radar 

networks via seamlessly integrating all weather radar networks together to form high resolution, 

three dimensional mosaics. This work has produced the Multi Radar Multi Sensor (MRMS) 

capability. Operating at a thirty second update rate and 1 Kilometer (KM) resolution, MRMS 

provides high resolution mosaic input to several FAA AWRP efforts, as well as Automatic 

Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Traffic Flow 

Management System (TFMS), and air traffic modeling and simulation research efforts at the 

William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC). 

Forecasts and Modeling 

In-Flight Icing 

This research is aimed at developing improvements to in-flight icing diagnosis and forecasting 

with a goal of reducing the rate of aircraft icing related accidents and fatalities for aircraft 

operations in the NAS. Over the continental United States, the Current Icing Product (CIP) and 

Forecast Icing Product (FIP) have been developed to provide hourly updates of current and 

forecast in-flight icing conditions out to 12 hours. These products include probability and 

severity of icing conditions, as well as super-cooled large drop potential. CIP and FIP products 

are available to all NAS users on NOAA’s Aviation Weather Center’s (AWCs) Aviation Digital 

Data Service (ADDS) website which provides comprehensive user-friendly aviation weather 

graphics including icing, turbulence, and convection. Current research efforts include 

development of a current and forecast icing product for Alaska, and development of enhanced 

icing weather diagnosis and forecast algorithms using weather parameters including liquid water 

content, drop size, and temperature. The latter research effort called Model of Icing Conditions 

for Real-Time Operations (MICRO) will be used to produce future ice accretion products that 

will likely apply to a particular class of aircraft (prop, turboprop, jet, etc.) for use in the NAS by 

pilots and flight crews in avoiding hazardous icing areas. Planned future efforts also include 

development of a global (oceanic routes) forecast icing product. Research to enhance efficiency 

and safety during winter terminal operations through the development of a prototype for Liquid 

Water Equivalent Rate System (LWES) specification for determining holdover times more 

accurate than those from currently used visibility tables was completed in FY2011. Results from 

this research are being incorporated into the Terminal Area Icing Weather Information System 

(TAIWIS). The goal of the TAIWIS effort is to develop a comprehensive terminal area ground 

and in-flight icing weather product (for use by air traffic, flight crews, and ground de-icing 

operations) to provide terminal area icing weather information for operational decision making. 
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Convective Weather 

Convective weather is a critical area of research due to the considerable impact it has on NAS 

operations. These storms cause significant problems in the NAS by contributing to delays, 

diversions and cancellations, along with well documented effects on safety and capacity. The 

FAA’s AWRP Program seeks to address this problem by: (1) Exploring how thunderstorm 

information is used to make decisions and assessing the need for improved information; (2) 

Increasing the fundamental understanding of how thunderstorms form, behave, and impact the 

NAS; and (3) Developing advanced thunderstorm analysis and predictive capabilities. 

The following research projects are underway: (1) Understand the convective forecast 

uncertainty needs of NAS Air Traffic Management; (2) Enhance high resolution forecast models 

to improve short-term convective forecasts; (3) Improve the prediction of large-scale convective 

storms in the 1-12 hour time frame; (4) Understand users’ needs for lightning detection and 

improve lightning forecasting capabilities; and (5) Develop and advance convective weather 

hazard guidance for oceanic regions. In addition to the specific areas of research identified 

above, convective weather research will also support the initiatives of the Collaborative Decision 

Making (CDM) community and work to improve the prediction of other convective weather 

hazards such as hail, wind shear, and turbulence. 

Turbulence 

This research has focused on producing a system of real-time turbulence nowcasts and 

probabilistic forecasts of turbulence. The method utilized in meeting these objectives is a 

turbulence forecasting task in conjunction with two supporting sensor tasks: one for in-situ 

detection of turbulence and the second for remote sensing of turbulence. The in-situ task has 

resulted in the deployment of an aircraft-based Eddy Dissipation Rate (EDR) turbulence 

detection algorithm on aircraft at United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Current efforts include 

deployment at Southwest Airlines. The remote sensing task has targeted the use of data from the 

NEXRAD radar network. Data from the NEXRAD Turbulence Detection Algorithm, currently 

operational on NEXRAD, will be used as input for the production of a turbulence analysis 

(nowcast) product. 

A separate effort, the Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) Turbulence/EDR Uplink 

Demonstration, is assessing the feasibility of using a low-cost device for the displaying of 

turbulence forecasts and EDR information in the cockpit for direct use by the flight crew. This 

task will provide a more complete Cost Benefits Analysis of the use of the turbulence data in the 

flight deck. 

Ceiling and Visibility (C&V) 

This research has focused on developing automated ceiling and visibility products to support 

current needs and future NextGen requirements for improvements in safety and terminal area 

traffic flow efficiency. C&V research will provide NAS users with more accurate forecasts of 

ceiling and visibility conditions, both in terms of the timing of low ceilings and visibility and the 

forecast measurement of the ceilings and visibility. Timing and measurement then translates into 

impact. C&V can significantly disrupt airport and terminal operations. These range from 
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impacting the airport acceptance rate to, in more severe cases, closing the airport. The FAA is 

working with the NWS to develop a procedure to inject newly developed model data into the 

existing NWS weather models. This development would then be used as a conduit for a 

technology infusion for terminal C&V forecasts, area forecasts and provide Air Navigation 

Service Providers (ANSPs) and users with more accurate and timely information on current and 

future C&V conditions. The C&V analysis will use frequent updates to closely track observed 

conditions and update the user display. C&V forecast information will be provided hourly in 

both probabilistic and deterministic form, and will support both human users and future 

automated decision support systems. Also developed, under AWRP, is the Helicopter Emergency 

Medical Service (HEMS) display tool that is operationally available for use by emergency 

helicopter crews to provide a quick look capability as a No-Go decision aid. New HEMS 

capabilities will include base map upgrades, C&V trending, user-supplied Map Datasets, as well 

as storage and retrieval of user preferences. 

Volcanic Ash Forecasts 

The FAA continues to lead the U.S.’s efforts to ensure the nation’s air transportation system 

maintains an excellent safety record for operations in air space contaminated with volcanic ash. 

Following the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010, the FAA 

participated in the ICAO Volcanic Ash Task Force; the largest international task force ever 

assembled to develop a global safety risk management framework to determine safe levels of 

operation in airspace contaminated by volcanic ash and deal with the issues from large volcanic 

eruptions that disrupt global air transportation. That volcanic event, which lasted 39 days, 

caused the largest disruption to aviation since the Second World War. 

The FAA is taking the lead, in cooperation with other U.S. agencies and international partners, in 

the following areas and initiatives: 

• Development of a Concept of Operations for volcanic ash information in support of air traffic 

operations and management 

• Development of a collaborative forecasting model to support the information exchange and 

collaboration between various Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers as well as Meteorological Watch 

Office, Air Navigation Service Providers, and Airline Operations Centers in volcanic ash cloud 

analysis and forecasts 

• Support the initiative for the first engine test program for volcanic ash 

Other efforts supported by various U.S. agencies and international partners include: 

• Continued research efforts to improve volcanic ash dispersion and transport models which are 

key to providing improved forecasts of the location of ash clouds 

• Improvements in volcano monitoring and the detection and reporting of volcano eruptions 

The successful completion of these programs will result in improvements to the air transportation 

system which will reduce the economic impacts from large volcanic eruptions and ensure no 

decline in safety. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

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Model Development and Enhancement (MD&E) 

This AWRP research is targeted at developing and improving weather prediction models and 

data assimilation systems to better characterize the state of the atmosphere with the goal of 

providing superior aviation weather information to enhance NAS safety and capacity. These 

assimilation and prediction systems utilize all the latest weather observations and advanced 

supercomputers to create the most accurate and timely depiction of the future state of the 

weather. The future weather information output from these computer models serves as the 

underpinning for virtually all weather guidance beyond the first hour. 

This research has been a collaborative partnership of the FAA, NOAA, NCAR, the Center for the 

Analysis and Prediction of Storms, the Air Force Weather Agency, and the Naval Research 

Laboratory to build the state-of-the-art Grid-point Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data 

assimilation system and Weather research and Forecast (WRF) modeling framework. A key 

result has been the 2012 implementation into NWS operations of the hourly-updated Rapid 

Refresh (RAP) weather prediction system. This system has yielded better wind forecasts and 

improved diagnoses and forecasts of weather hazardous to aviation, including en-route 

turbulence, convective weather, in-flight icing, and restricted visibility, over an expanded 

domain including Alaska. 

Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) 

The purpose of this research study is to reduce the 

negative impacts of adverse weather conditions on 

the NAS and aircraft by developing, verifying, and 

validating requirements to support airworthiness 

standards for enabling availability and improving the 

quality and quantity of meteorological (MET) 

information available to the aircraft. There are 

multiple research projects in the WTIC portfolio to 

achieve this overall mission statement. The research 

projects in the WTIC portfolio are organized by four 

structural elements: Standards Support, Flight Deck 

Information, Human Factors, and Air/Ground Integration. A brief summary of a few research 

projects in each structural element are detailed in the following subsections. 

Standards Support 

The WTIC program works closely with multiple RTCA committees. The most extensive support 

is provided to RTCA SC206 and their efforts to develop recommendations for data link 

architecture and the dissemination of MET information between aircraft and ground users. 

WTIC program standards support also includes participating in the SAE G-10 effort to develop a 

standard symbology for the presentation of MET information in the cockpit. 
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2-79 

Flight Deck Information 

The WTIC Wind Diagnosis project is focused on defining elements of wind quality that impact 

NextGen application programs and performing simulations to assess those impacts based on 

varying wind quality. 

The Cloud Top Heights - Human over the Loop Demonstration (HOTL) will assess the impacts 

to decision making in a collaborative environment of providing cloud top data in oceanic and 

data sparse areas. 

The Mobile Application project is researching MET information that provides benefits to the 

cockpit when presented on a mobile application. This project is also researching limitations of 

existing technology to support the concept of operation for this mobile application. 

Human Factors 

The Standardization Assessment project is performing a quantitative assessment of the impacts 

of non-standardized MET presentations for General Aviation (GA) displays. This research 

consists of three groups of pilots flying a GA simulator with one of three common MET 

presentations. Researchers then measure variations in performance and multiple human factors 

parameters such as eye fixations. 

A second human factors project is working with the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) to perform detailed callbacks on Aviation Safety Reporting System 

(ASRS) incident reports that identify weather or data linked MET information as a contributing 

factor. 

The WTIC program is also performing research to develop inputs for improving pilot training 

relative to MET information and new MET technology. 

Air/Ground Integration 

Research in this structural element includes modeling generic versions of common data links 

(e.g. Immarsat) to assess their bandwidth, latency, and other quality factors related to their 

capability to disseminate MET information. 

The Uplink of Advanced Weather Radar Mosaic project is assessing the potential benefits and 

the feasibility of up linking weather mosaics to the cockpit and to downlink sensor data from 

aircraft to enhance the quality of the mosaics. 

World Area Forecast System (WAFS) 

The FAA/NWS, as a WAFS Provider State, supports the provision of global gridded data for 

wind, temperature and humidity in support of flight planning purposes for the International Civil 

Aviation Organization. Also included is the provision of Significant Weather (SIGWX) in digital 

and chart-format, and the new forecasts for global gridded forecasts of icing, turbulence and 

cumulonimbus (Cb) clouds, as well as Operational aeronautical Meteorological (OPMET) data. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-80 

A key obligation for the WAFS is the global dissemination of these products which is provided 

by the joint agreement between the FAA/NWS to operate the WAFS Internet World Area 

Forecast System File Service. There are more than 100 authorized users from the ICAO 

Asia/Pacific Region and Caribbean/South American Region who have access to the above 

products/information in support of U.S.’s responsibility to provide a flight document folder for 

flight planning. 
2-81 

CLIMATE SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

Climate services are provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

(NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS), through the National Centers for Environmental 

Prediction’s (NCEP) Climate Prediction Center (CPC), the NWS Climate Services Division 

(CSD), and more than 150 NWS regional and local offices nationwide. CPC, delivers a broad 

range of products and services related to climate monitoring, short-term climate fluctuation 

forecasts, and information on the impacts of climate patterns on the Nation. The product suite 

spans time scales from a week to seasons, extending into the future as far as technically feasible, 

and covers the land, the ocean, and the atmosphere. CPC also identifies the important physical 

factors responsible for variability, anomalies, and trends in global and regional climate in order 

to improve these products. The NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) use these products to 

deliver climate services to local users; together with regional offices, WFO’s are responsible for 

collecting climate data, developing locally-relevant products, and conducting local climate 

studies in response to user needs. Applications include the mitigation of weather-related natural 

disasters and uses in agriculture, energy, transportation, water resources, and health. 

Additionally, WFOs issue daily and monthly climate reports for their areas of responsibility, 

providing localized information about temperature and precipitation records and extreme events 

such as droughts. WFOs serve as the local NOAA user interface for climate services, including 

outreach and education. They are also responsible for the integrity and continuity of the 

historical climate record for their area of responsibility. 

CSD provides the strategic vision for climate services at NWS, , and serves as steward of the 

climate observing system. In collaboration with other NWS offices, CSD develops training, 

education, and outreach programs and makes recommendations for and designs tools to enhance 

the skill set of NOAA employees and users of climate information. CSD fosters ties with other 

countries, other NOAA offices, Federal agencies, the university community, and the private 

sector. It encourages collaborative arrangements among Regional Climate Centers (managed by 

NOAA/National Environmental Satellite, Date and Information Service (NESDIS)), State 

Climatologists, and NWS WFOs and regional headquarters to meet the needs for climate 

information of their local users. All NWS climate products and services are available to 

government, public, and private users, both in this country and abroad. 

FOR PURPOSES OF THIS Federal Plan, Climate Services are specialized meteorological 

and hydrological services established to meet the requirements of Federal, state, and local 

agencies for information on the historical, current, and future state of the earth system. 

Climate services include observations, monitoring, assessments, predictions, and projections 

of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and land surface systems. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-82 

NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center 

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is the largest climate data center in the world. 

NCDC receives, processes, archives, and disseminates surface, marine, upper-air, radar, satellite, 

and model output data. NCDC serves a large and diverse community, responding to more than 

one million information requests per year. It makes environmental data and information available 

through both the Internet and physical delivery of products and services. NCDC’s climate data 

products support decision making in many sectors of the economy, including energy, 

transportation and agriculture, insurance, engineering, health care, and manufacturing. NCDC’s 

data holdings and expertise also enable them to make better business decisions, save money, 

improve their products, expand their businesses, and reduce their impact on the environment. 

Assembling the State of the Climate in 2011 Report. The State of the Climate series has been an 

annual supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society since the report’s 

inception as Climate Assessment, led by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, in 1990. Led by 

NCDC since 2001, the report has grown in scope to become the leading annual assessment of its 

type, providing a comprehensive “physical exam” of the climate system each year. The 2011 

edition covered a broader range of the climate system than ever before, written by the largest 

number of authors in its history. The report provides a valuable reference for the increasing 

number of professionals and consultants who consider climate state and trajectory in their work.

Operating the U.S. Climate Reference Network for Over Decade. The year 2012 marks a 

decade of observations taken by NOAA’s U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) under the 

leadership of NCDC and in partnership with NOAA’s Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion 

Division. The USCRN consists of 114 stations across the lower 48 United States, with additional 

sites in Alaska and Hawaii, which are specifically designed and deployed for quantifying climate 

change on a national scale. Each station monitors a suite of meteorological parameters, including 

primary variables of air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature, soil moisture, and relative 

humidity as well as secondary variables such as solar radiation and wind. These quality 

measurements combined with thorough metadata documentation, excellent data quality control, a 

triplicate sensor configuration for primary measurements, and active maintenance efforts result 

in a system that can provide high-quality climate data. In the future, the USCRN will continue to 

run at the same high-quality standards established in its first decade of operation and continue its 

expansion in Alaska. 

Transitioning Three New Climate Data Records into Operations. NCDC expanded the national 

inventory of eight operational Climate Data Records (CDRs) to 11 by transitioning three new 

CDRs from research grade to operational status in 2012. The three new CDRs are the 

Atmosphere Mean Layer Temperatures record, the Sea Ice Concentration record, and the Snow 

Cover Extent record. Additionally, NCDC performed stewardship activities for the eight 

operational CDRs in place at the end of 2011 and developed software-coding standards for the 

generation and sustainment of operational CDRs. These records provide input to emerging 

climate prediction modeling as well as capture and maintain the Nation’s record of climate 

history, including the severity and frequency of droughts, floods, and hurricanes. The CDRs 

provide trusted information sets used by industry, government, and research communities to 

detect, assess, model, and predict climate variability and change. Decision makers value these 
 Climate Services 

2-83 

long-term records and use them to devise effective strategies to better protect life, property, 

economic interests, and security through climate response, adaptation, and mitigation efforts. 

Increasing NCDC’s Data Holdings and Users’ Access to Data. NCDC receives and archives 

data from all over the world. Throughout the 2012 fiscal year, NCDC consistently advanced its 

data holdings and improved public access to its data. In the 2012 fiscal year, visitors downloaded 

1.911 petabytes of data, which is the equivalent of 25 years of HD-TV video and a 40-fold 

increase over the 47 terabytes of data downloaded just 7 years earlier (2005 fiscal year). In 

comparison, the 2011 fiscal year recorded a total download of 1.285 petabytes. 

NCDC has also vastly increased its data holdings: a total volume of 9.9 petabytes was present in 

the archive at the end of the 2012 fiscal year. Over the past ten years, the archive’s growth has 

been exponential, with nearly an 8.5-petabyte increase from the September 2002 archive volume 

of 1.36 petabytes. It would take almost 2.5 million DVDs, which would stack up nearly two 

miles high, to hold 9.9 petabytes of data. Once the data is archived, NCDC employs advanced 

data management techniques to provide these precise weather and climate records to the public. 

This meteoric rise in data holdings comes from much more advanced data collection systems 

such as Doppler radar and today’s satellites. These data are stored in NCDC’s Comprehensive 

Large Array-data Stewardship System along with a wealth of additional data from other satellites 

and instruments. 

NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, an oceanographic and atmospheric research platform, is the 

largest vessel in the NOAA fleet (274 feet). With its instruments and sensors, Ronald H. Brown

sails worldwide, supporting scientific studies to increase our understanding of the world's oceans 

and climate. Ronald H. Brown also carries a Doppler radar system to support at-sea 

meteorological observations.

The Ronald H. Brown typically supports research programs of NOAA's Tropical AtmosphereOcean (TAO) Project (real-time data from moored ocean buoys for improved detection, 

understanding and prediction of El Niño and La Niña). The primary objective for the ship is 

servicing some of the approximately 60 Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition Systems 

(ATLAS) and current meter moorings in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. The Ronald 

H. Brown works in cooperation with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to conduct 

mooring recovery and deployment operations of the Stratus Ocean Reference Station, located 

under the stratocumulus clouds off Chile and Peru. The ship conducts meteorological and air-sea 

flux observations to document and establish the accuracy of the moored metrological 

observations and to observe oceanic and atmospheric variability. This region is of critical 

importance to climate predictability. 

The Ronald H. Brown also conducts the Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS) project, 

which investigates surface meteorological forcing and oceanographic response in a region of the 

tropical Atlantic Ocean with strong sea surface temperature anomalies on a decadal timescale. 

These issues are addressed through the analysis of surface mooring observations from a site near 

15o

N, 51oW. Ronald H. Brown also conducts the PIRATA Northeast Extension (PNE) project, a 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-84 

joint project of Brazil, France, and the United States. The overarching goal is to improve 

knowledge and understanding of ocean-atmosphere variability in the tropical Atlantic. 

United States Air Force 

Air Force Weather Agency, 14th Weather Squadron

The 14th Weather Squadron (14 WS) at Asheville, North Carolina, provides centralized 

climatological services, and produces specialized weather-impact information for DoD and allied 

nations. The 14 WS provides decision-enabling products, allowing DoD command authorities to 

anticipate environmental impacts on all aspects of military operations worldwide. The 14 WS 

enhances the combat capability of the United States by delivering timely, accurate, and reliable 

environmental situational awareness worldwide to the USAF, the Army, Unified Combatant 

Commands, the Intelligence Community, and the Department of Defense. The squadron 

produces a suite of both standard and tailored products such as the Operational Climatic Data 

Summaries, Engineering Weather Data, Wind Roses, and Wind Stratified Conditional 

Climatologies, among others, as well as providing frequency of occurrence and duration for 

mission limiting factors. Yet, the 14 WS mission is more than just climatology; it is also 

forensic weather. It is about analyzing the past to help predict the future. The squadron 

continues to press ahead with innovation through the modernization of the Warfighter 

climatological toolkit by integrating GIS visualizations on its Web site and through development 

of GIS-based spatial and cloud climatologies. These emerging technologies give military 

planners the data needed to successfully plan and execute operations. The bottom line is to give 

Warfighters the environmental information when, where, and how it is needed to prosecute 

military operations. 

The 14 WS also collaborates with the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and other national 

climatic centers of expertise worldwide. Collocation with NCDC in Asheville allows for data 

exchange as well as joint collaboration in areas such as data quality techniques, product 

development, and technology exploitation to facilitate both organizations’ missions. 

Long-range outlook products and other services relate to time periods from a month to 6 months 

in the future, including seasonal forecasts and hazard assessments. The 14 WS produces 6-

month narrative-form outlooks derived by using statistical methods, with an ensemble of Global 

Climate Model forecasts, considering the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic 

Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode, etc. Air Force Weather is enhancing its 6-month forecast 

capability by leveraging research conducted by Air Force and Navy officers at the Naval 

Postgraduate School and other national and international resources (including climatology work 

by NATO allies), as well as advances in understanding teleconnections (i.e., ENSO, North 

Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode), with a goal of providing planners with a risk 

management tool to positively impact operations. 

United States Navy 

Rear Admiral Jonathan White, Oceanographer of the Navy, is also the Navigator of the Navy, 

and Director of Task Force Climate Change. While he sees no imminent threat of conflict in the 

Arctic, RADM White believes the presence of well-meaning naval forces acts as a stabilizing 
 Climate Services 

2-85 

influence toward mutual prosperity and safe maritime activity. Climate change and energy are 

two key issues that will play a significant role in shaping the futures security environment. 

Working closely with U.S. departments and agencies, the Department of Defense has undertaken 

environmental security cooperative initiatives with foreign militaries that represent a way of 

building trust through sharing best practices on installations management and operations, 

developing a greater capacity for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HA/DR). 

Navy is already investing in significant Arctic research. It is important that it improve its 

understanding of the environment for safety of operations, because the Arctic will remain a harsh 

and challenging environment even as it becomes more accessible and active. This line of effort 

includes an emphasis on research to better understand the changing climate and improve Arctic 

weather forecast capabilities, and on high resolution surveying of the seabed. 

The U.S. Navy is currently engaged in strategic planning to increase operational capabilities and 

infrastructure in the Arctic in future years. Within the next decade, it will be operating routinely 

in the Arctic with an appropriate presence that includes more than just submarines. Navy’s 

global area of responsibility is growing as it adds new coastlines and a new ocean. With the 

fiscal challenges confronting the Navy, it must use cooperative multilateral partnerships to 

successfully build an Arctic-capable force. 

The White House released a new National Strategy for the Arctic Region on 10 May 2013 

reflecting a growing recognition that the Arctic is opening up for human enterprise and will 

increasingly become a strategic priority for the United States. The Naval Meteorology and 

Oceanography Command, headquartered at the Stennis Space Center, MS, has assets that can 

assist in this national effort. The command manages a fleet of six world-class ocean survey 

vessels and operates some of the world's finest oceanographic analysis and prediction computer 

models. 

Navy also partners with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. 

Coast Guard to monitor polar ice movement at the National Naval Ice Center in Suitland, MD. 

This is in line with the National Arctic Strategy's third line of effort—building and maintaining 

cooperative relations with other Federal Agencies, as well as with Arctic nations and allies. The 

Navy will work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other Arctic nation sea services to ensure 

they can meet the same mission requirements in the Arctic as they do in, on, and above every 

other ocean in the world. 

United States Geological Survey 

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is both a provider of and user of climate-related 

services, but the balance between these two activities is quite different from that of NOAA. The 

USGS provides climate data and models, like NOAA, that can be used by resource managers and 

policy makers to anticipate and adapt to climate change. The USGS climate and land use change 

science program, however, also has a strong emphasis on understanding relationships between 

climate change and hydrological, geologic, and biological processes. 
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also contributes to international negotiations through preparation and review of special reports 

and development of methodologies requested by the United Nations Framework Convention on 

Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

DOS also plays a central role in the USG’s work within the intergovernmental Group on Earth 

Observations (GEO), which is charged with the implementation of the Global Earth Observation 

System of Systems (GEOSS). Additionally, DOS also serves as the primary USG – and 

international – donor to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), which is intended to be a 

long-term, user-driven operational system capable of providing the comprehensive observations 

required for understanding Earth’s climate system, how it is changing and what the impacts of 

that change will be. 

In addition to its primary role in the organizations and events listed above, DOS is active in 

several relevant Federal interagency processes, including the Committee on Environment and 

Natural Resources and Sustainability (CENRS) of the National Science and Technology Council, 

the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) and the broader U.S. Global Change 

Research Program (USGCRP), as well as US Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) 

subcommittee and its interagency International Working Group. . The CENRS was established in 

1993 to coordinate domestic scientific programs. USGCRP was created in 2001 to “integrate 

Federal research on global change and climate change” across 13 Federal agencies (from 2001-

2008, USGCRP was known as the Climate Change Science Program, or CCSP). In addition to 

the above, DOS responsibilities include, but are not limited to, international aspects of food 

security, disaster warnings and assistance, WMO (including the recently launched Global 

Framework for Climate Services) and UNEP activities (including the Climate and Clean Air 

Coalition), and international meteorological and Earth observing programs.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center 

Examining the Extreme Events of 2011 from a Climate Perspective. NCDC scientist Dr. 

Thomas Peterson, along with colleagues from the UK Met Office Hadley Centre and NOAA’s 

Office of Program Planning and Integration, edited a paper entitled “Explaining Extreme Events 

of 2011 from a Climate Perspective.” The paper was published in the Bulletin of the American 

Meteorological Society, and it explains how the odds of six different extreme events of 2011 

have changed in response to global warming. The article showed that long-term climate change 

had no role in the 2011 flooding in Thailand, revealed a decreased likelihood of the cold UK 

winters like the one in 2010/2011, and concluded increased probabilities of several other events 

such as the 2011 droughts in Texas and the Horn of Africa. By developing the ability to put 

recent extreme weather or climate events into the longer-term context of climate change, 

scientists can provide the public with the information needed to make decisions about how to 

effectively minimize and prepare for the impacts of these variations and changes in the climate 

system. 

Engaging Partners to Support National and Regional Climate Assessments. Through NCDC 

and the Climate Program Office, NOAA has been a lead agency in all National Climate 

Assessment (NCA) efforts. In compiling the 2013 draft NCA, NCDC engaged NOAA’s 
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Regional Climate Centers and external experts to contribute to region and sector-specific reports 

and published a suite of regional and national assessment climate scenarios that will be 

incorporated into the final report. The Center also coordinated the review of all submissions in 

advance of the final report’s release, including public comments on the draft report. 

The scenarios provide rigorous and consistent climate science underpinning as part of a 

commitment to a sustained assessment endeavor. This attention will assist in understanding 

plausible futures and in achieving a consistent base of climate information for each successive 

synthesis report. 

Envisioned and designed as both beneficial to the NCA process as well as directly beneficial to 

decision makers, the scenarios incorporated eight regional reports and one national report, and 

include observed climatologies and future projections as well as a full description of data sources 

used. 

Launching CycloneCenter.org—A Citizen Science Alliance Project. NCDC, in partnership with 

the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites–North Carolina, the University of North 

Carolina–Asheville, and the Citizen Science Alliance, developed CycloneCenter.org as an 

interface for the public to interpret satellite imagery of tropical cyclones in order to estimate their 

intensity. Launched in September 2012, CycloneCenter.org seeks citizen-scientist volunteers to 

examine and categorize color-enhanced images from 30 years of tropical cyclones—nearly 

300,000 hurricane images from around the world—from the archives of NCDC’s Hurricane 

Satellite Data system. The work has two goals: engage the public in science and educate the 

public about tropical cyclones. 

With the public’s help, scientists will create a new global tropical cyclone dataset that will 

provide three-hourly tropical cyclone intensity estimates, confidence intervals, and a wealth of 

other metadata that could not be realistically obtained in any other fashion. NOAA climate 

scientists and other researchers will use the new dataset in an attempt to better understand and 

research global tropical cyclone activity. 

Extending the Temperature Record in North America. NCDC maintains the world’s largest 

collection of climate- and environmental-change data based upon paleoclimate proxies that 

include tree rings, ice cores, ocean and lake sediments, cave speleothems, corals, boreholes, and 

historical documents. Through its work with colleagues, NCDC used its collection of 

paleoclimate data to produce a new proxy-based reconstruction of temperature trends for North 

America extending back to 1200. This effort expands the thermometer-based record of 

temperature, which goes back to 1880 but is too short a time to capture the long-term baseline or 

natural variability. 

Similar to reconstructions of the global average, the data revealed cooler temperatures during the 

17th and 19th centuries and warmer temperatures prevailing prior to the 15th century. The 

average temperature between 1200 and 1980 was 0.2 degrees cooler than during the 20th century 

(1904–1980). 
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Monitoring and Reporting the Record-Setting Warmth of 2012. The year 2012 was the warmest 

of the 118-year record for the contiguous United States, by about 1 degree F. Both spring and 

summer were the warmest on record for their respective seasons. March was the warmest March 

on record, and July 2012 was the warmest of any single month of the contiguous U.S. climate 

record. NCDC provided a large volume of additional supplemental monitoring information to 

better capture the magnitude of these extremes, and leveraged several intra-NOAA partnerships 

and relationships to help convey this information in a timely manner. Beginning in March, 

NCDC created a dynamic supplement to its routine monitoring reports. This space included 

additional insight, analysis, and explanation on the status of 2012. The supplement implemented 

several innovative approaches to characterize the unusualness of the warmth. These products and 

analyses accurately characterize the nature of the extremes observed in the United States.

Supporting the Nation’s Understanding of the Drought of 2012. NCDC provided scientific and 

operational support to help the Nation understand the record-setting drought of 2012. Along with 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture and academic partners, NOAA employees led the weekly 

development of the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), which is the premier drought assessment 

product in the United States and relies on input from hundreds of on-the-ground personnel to 

quality control the product. In addition, information from the USDM is used to distribute billions 

of dollars in drought-related aid as well as to make state, local, and tribal decisions related to 

water restrictions. 

In 2012, the United States experienced its worst drought since the 1950s and, in places, the most 

intense drought on record. The 2012 drought is expected to cost the economy tens of billions of 

dollars. No other drought of this magnitude has been monitored so comprehensively in real time 

in the history of the Nation. As drought emerged during the summer, the Nation was well aware 

of its magnitude and the complementary roles of heat and lack of precipitation that drove its 

intensification. NCDC employees delivered additional weekly narratives during the drought, 

which provided insight into the historical significance of the drought, and the various “flavors” 

of drought and drought impacts that faced different regions of the Nation. More comprehensive 

monthly summaries provided deeper information. NCDC data and science showed that the 

abnormal heat during spring and early summer amplified the drought’s severity. 

NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

The mission of climate research activities within NOAA/OAR is to monitor and understand 

Earth's climate system in order to predict the potential long-term changes in global climate as 

well as shorter-term climate variations that are of societal and economic importance. More 

information on OAR’s climate research is available at: http://www.oar.noaa.gov/climate/. 

To achieve this mission, climate research across OAR is structured to support the long-term goal 

of Climate Adaptation and Mitigation described in NOAA’s Next-Generation Strategic Plan 

(NGSP). The NGSP identifies four Objectives under the Goal: (1) Improved scientific 

understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts; (2) Assessments of current and 

future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, service, and 

stewardship decisions; (3) Mitigation and adaptation efforts supported by sustained, reliable, and 

timely climate services; and (4) A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a 

changing climate and makes informed decisions. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

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To meet these Objectives, OAR’s research is executed and delivered through a network of 

NOAA line offices, laboratories and cooperative institutes, programs, and university-based 

partnership activities. Broadly, OAR’s laboratories and cooperative institutes contribute, both 

directly and indirectly, to all four Objectives. OAR’s Climate Program Office (CPO) is the 

strategy lead for the NGSP Climate Goal, and it provides resources, programmatic oversight, and 

coordination to ensure NOAA’s climate research activities proceed in an integrated and costeffective manner. In these roles, CPO brings together and maintains relationships across NOAA 

laboratories, cooperative institutes, and university-based partners. OAR’s laboratories and 

cooperative institutes work in tandem with CPO to ensure NOAA meets its aim of an informed 

society anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts. 

Specific aims of research conducted under the Goal’s Objective of improved scientific 

understanding include: 

 Describe and understand the state of the climate through sustained atmospheric and 

oceanic observations and research related to global distributions, trends, sources and 

sinks of atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of the 

Earth 

 Understand and predict climate variability and change from weeks to decades to 

centennial timescales 

 Conduct advanced mathematical modeling of the climate and Earth systems, including 

natural climate variability, anthropogenic climate change, weather and hurricane 

forecasts, El Niño prediction, and stratospheric ozone depletion to improve the prediction 

of climate phenomena 

 Sustain the observing systems essential for climate, oceanographic monitoring, and data 

management 

 Conduct physical process research to advance a seamless suite of information and 

forecast products 

 Understand how decision makers use climate information to improve the ability of 

society to plan for and respond to climate variability and change. 

Laboratories and Programs

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) 

In an effort to better understand and forecast climate, the Atlantic Oceanographic and 

Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) contributes to the maintenance of the global Argo program, 

a global array of 3,000 vertically profiling floats. AOML and manages all U.S. Argo 

deployments in the Atlantic and conducts ocean circulation research on data collected through 

the program. The Argo array is a major contributor to the World Climate Research Programme’s 

Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Experiment and the Global Ocean Data 

Assimilation Experiment. Combined with satellites, Argo data provides a quantitative description 

of the changing state of the upper ocean and the patterns of ocean climate variability from 

months to decades, including heat and freshwater storage and transport. 
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In FY14, AOML plans to increase understanding of the ocean's role in climate through the 

stewardship of long term ocean observations, analysis of observations and models and numerical 

simulation of ocean circulation induced changes to climate. For example, the Physical 

Oceanography Division (PHOD) of AOML will continue to show that the variation of surface 

and subsurface ocean temperature and salinity is important to and linked with the Atlantic 

meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), hurricane intensification and fisheries productivity 

on climate time scales.

Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) 

To provide a sound scientific basis for understanding climate variability and change, the Air 

Resources Laboratory (ARL) contributes to several land-based climate networks: the U.S. 

Climate Reference Network, the Regional U.S. Climate Reference Network, and the Surface 

Energy Budget Network, as well as to an international upper air network called the Global 

Climate Observing System Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN). 

ARL also provides analyses of variability and change in the boundary layer, free troposphere and 

stratosphere, with an emphasis on atmospheric temperature, stability, and circulation and on 

clouds. ARL has long-standing and internationally-recognized expertise using radiosonde 

observations, often combined with satellite observations or climate model results, to understand 

upper-air climate change. In addition, ARL has developed long-term datasets using model 

analysis and observed rainfall for air stagnation, and merged in-situ data and satellite 

observations for dust storm climatology. 

In FY14, ARL will: 

 Continue to provide maintenance and testing of existing technologies at the climate 

reference networks and evaluate new technologies; 

 Continue to provide leadership for guiding the full implementation of the GRUAN; 

 Continue using radiosonde observations to evaluate models of the global carbon cycle 

and to evaluate other observational approaches to identify boundary layer structures and 

variations; 

Continue studying linkages and interactions of climate and air chemical parameters and 

processes and evaluate the performance of operational and research models. 

Climate Program Office (CPO) 

CPO was established to advance the agency’s climate portfolio and to manage the competitive 

research program that funds high-priority science to advance understanding of atmospheric, 

oceanic, land-based, and snow and ice processes, and how they affect climate. CPO also supports 

multi-disciplinary research and assessments that help people better plan and respond to climate 

change and variability. CPO-supported research is conducted in regions across the United States, 

at national and international scales, and globally. 

One of CPO’s core missions is to develop and sustain a global in situ climate observing system. 

NOAA’s instruments are a vital part of an international system to monitor Earth’s climate and 

provide data for NOAA research, modeling, predictions, and forecasts. We leverage climate 
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2-92 

science capacity and capabilities to provide the nation with critically needed early warning 

systems that are timely and relevant for stakeholders at a range of scales spatially (local to 

global) and over time (weeks to decades). 

CPO will continue to support modeling, research, analysis, and data collection aimed at gaining a 

better understanding of climate processes. These activities are essential steps toward delivering 

climate prediction and assessment products for risk management and decision-making. CPO will 

also sustain grant programs that advance the knowledge and capacity of decision makers to 

assess risk, prepare for, and respond to the impacts of climate variability and change. 

Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) 

The Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) continues to make unparalleled contributions to 

the scientific understanding of climate change through its global atmospheric monitoring 

program, field missions to study atmospheric processes, laboratory studies, modeling work. 

ESRL’s Chemical Sciences Division (CSD) climate research provides an improved predictive 

capability through a better understanding of the connections between emissions, atmospheric 

composition, and Earth’s climate system. Research is focused on addressing two of the greatest 

uncertainties in current climate models: water vapor and aerosols (airborne fine particles), in 

addition to ongoing work on non-CO2 greenhouse gases. 

The ESRL Global Monitoring Division (GMD) conducts sustained observations and research 

related to global distributions, trends, sources and sinks of atmospheric constituents such as 

greenhouse and other trace gases, aerosols, ozone, a that are capable of forcing change in Earth’s 

climate. This research will advance climate projections and provide scientific policy-relevant, 

decision-support information to enhance society's ability to plan and respond. 

Physical Sciences Division (PSD) strives to interpret the causes of observed climate variation, 

and advance the understanding, parameterization, and measurement of climate-relevant physical 

processes. This knowledge is used to improve climate models and forecasts and develop new 

climate products that better serve the needs of the public and decision-makers. 

All ESRL Divisions place a high priority on communicating the results of their research in 

decision-support information products to underpin national and international decision-making. 

Their contributions include leadership and extensive participation in state-of-understanding 

national and international assessments on climate.. 

FY 14 Plans 

 Prototype "likelihood of drought recovery" product that reconciles and explains 

experimental and operational products, strengths and challenges. 

 Develop climate and weather guidance to reduce and manage drought and floods 

impacts on watershed restoration. 

 Generate data archive of ship observations from participation in the NOAA/NSF 

DYNAMO field program in the Indian Ocean. 
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 Provide an integrated database for the International Arctic System for Observing the 

Atmosphere (IASOA). IASOA is a consortium of 10 sentinel Arctic Observatories 

that collect a wide range of detailed measurements relevant to weather and climate. 

This activity will support the Polar Prediction Project. 

 Continue development of Arctic atmospheric observatories to obtain high-latitude 

climate data. 

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory 

Over the last half century in general, and the last few years in particular, GFDL has demonstrated 

world leadership in pushing the boundaries of climate prediction. Through direct participation in 

producing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 Assessment and the 

Administration’s Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Reports, GFDL’s 

premier climate science capacity and recent investment in computer model infrastructure allow 

NOAA to deliver essential climate prediction information at the regional and local level and 

provide an invaluable and unique opportunity for the Nation to make critical progress in global 

change science. GFDL has delivered model output to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). 

Four model streams have been specifically designed for the climate integrations needed to 

address the major climate science challenges. All four streams are based on CM2.1, a GFDL 

coupled climate model with an atmospheric model resolution of 200km and an ocean model 

resolution of 100km. CM2.1 was considered among the highest quality models used in the 

previous IPCC Assessment Report, AR4, and will be used again in AR5. Model output will be 

submitted to the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) for use in AR5. The four 

modeling streams are: 

1. Decadal prediction experiments to better understand physical processes. 

2. Earth System Models (ESMs), emphasizing biogeochemical carbon-climate feedbacks 

through the use of a closed-carbon cycle. 

3. Coupled climate models (CM3) with more realistic, self-consistent but complex 

atmospheric physics and chemistry than in CM2.1. 

4. High-resolution atmospheric models at 50km and 25km resolution forced by future ocean 

states. 

GFDL scientists continue to play an active role in AR5, and in some instances lead, in: model 

intercomparison and model simulation analysis activities; submission of model data, quality 

control and archiving; analyses of the data outputs and inferences about the climate system. 

These activities will lead to a number of peer-reviewed publications based on the CMIP5 

database of model output. GFDL has also made significant contributions, through highresolution model experiments, to the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment 

Program (NARCCAP), and GFDL model experiments will also be used in creating the 

USGCRP’s National Climate Assessment, due out in 2013. Significant progress in model 

development is expected in FY14 as the four modeling streams outlined above are unified into a 

new coupled model called CM4. 

 
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Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) 

The portfolio of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) includes work 

by several investigators on important aspects of the mid-latitude and high-latitude climate 

system. Current research topics include development and refinement of models that allow lake 

ice and sea ice formation and melting to be predicted at multiple timescales in the Great Lakes, 

Arctic Ocean, and embayments of the North Pacific through field process studies, numerical 

experiments, and analysis of historical and newly collected satellite and meteorological 

data. Recent work, for example, has explored teleconnections between ice formation in the 

Great Lakes and the relative phases of the Pacific El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the North 

Atlantic Oscillation. 

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 

The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) contributes to the advancement our 

understanding of the impacts of climate variability and change through a long-term observations 

program that supports robust climate research. Key observational components include: 

 The Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array (GTMBA) was developed by PMEL in 

partnership with NOAA’s Climate Program Office and multiple international partners. 

PMEL now maintains both the PIRATA and RAMA Arrays in the Tropical Atlantic and 

Indian Oceans, respectively. The TAO/TRITON Array, the original component of the 

GTMBA, has been transitioned from PMEL to NWS/National Data Buoy Center. 

Moored buoys in the GTMBA report daily values of surface meteorological parameters 

and subsurface temperatures and salinity values via satellite for use by the NWS Climate 

Prediction Center and climate researchers world-wide. 

 PMEL contributes to the maintenance of the global Argo Float Array, through an 

international partnership and in conjunction with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 

Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the University of Washington, and AOML. PMEL 

scientists deploy floats, support the addition of new measurement and increased depth 

capabilities of Argo floats, and conduct research on improving quality control of the Argo 

data. 

 PMEL scientists support the OceanSITES program of global moored ocean reference 

stations for climate, maintaining two moored platforms in the North Pacific. 

 In conjunction with the International CLIVAR program, PMEL conducts ocean research 

on a global scale to monitor decadal-scale changes in a suite of physical, chemical, and 

biological parameters over the full water column, such as carbon dioxide uptake, ocean 

temperature, and circulation. 

PMEL climate researchers are active in the Arctic region, using atmospheric models to predict 

long-term sea-ice extent and providing information on potential impacts to ecosystem managers 

and local communities on Arctic change. PMEL scientists, working with the National Marine 

Fisheries Service, also conduct research on the impacts of ocean climate change on marine 
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resources, conducting research on ocean acidification and on the impact of ocean and climate 

change on North Pacific fishery and marine mammal populations. 

U.S Department of Agriculture 

 National Institute of Food and Agriculture 

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) unique mission is to advance 

knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by 

supporting research, education, and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System 

and other partner organizations. NIFA doesn’t perform actual research, education, and extension, 

but rather helps fund it at the state and local level and provides program leadership in these areas. 

NIFA funding supports research projects that collect, analyze and utilize short and long-term 

weather and climate data as a base of information for the projection and prediction of climatic 

trends related to environmental impacts on agro-ecosystems, forests, and rangelands and the 

development of adaptation and mitigation strategies for natural resources and production 

management. Research, education and extension projects address the contribution of human 

activities, soil management, and crop and animal production to atmospheric greenhouse gases. 

Broader areas of study involve climate variability, carbon, nitrogen and water cycling, and their 

role in global change. The impact of changes in UV radiation and ozone level studies also fit 

into this broad global category. 

Historical climate changes are derived from data gathering and modeling studies, enabling 

prediction of future crop production and irrigation needs. NIFA funding supports studies on the 

impact of climate and weather on food, feed, and fiber production and on natural resource 

protection and utilization. These studies relate to forest and agricultural plant growth, rangeland 

productivity, cropping system selection, livestock production practices and natural resource 

management. 

Man’s impact on climate systems is also well represented in studies of both micro-and macroclimatic change. These involve studies dealing with the climatic impact on air quality, water 

quality and quantity and agriculture waste management related to agricultural practices and 

forest and urban development. Studies on climatic impact on nutrient cycling and carbon 

sequestration and emission are supported with NIFA funds. Research is also being supported to 

quantify the impact of climate change on the incidence and severity of drought, extreme heat and 

cold, emerging plant and animal diseases and pests, new invasive species, shifting biodiversity 

and ecosystem services, and adaptation to these events. 

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) has funded projects on a wide variety of 

weather and climate related research in collaboration with other U.S. federal agencies. AFRI’s 

Climate Change Challenge Area is currently focused research areas are, regional climate studies 

in agriculture and forestry, plant breeding, animal health impacts, and mitigation and adaptation 

in agriculture and forestry. Other AFRI areas of research related to weather and climate change 

include organic agriculture, carbon cycling, agro-ecosystem modeling and economic 

consequences of adaptation and mitigation strategies. Emerging areas of research include the 

impact of climate on biofuel production, environmental markets and food safety. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

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United States Geological Survey 

Water Resources Monitoring. The effects of warming temperatures on water resources are 

among the most certain and costly consequences of climate change in some regions of the United 

States, and water resources information should be an important component of (or closely linked 

with) a new national climate services program. The USGS is the nation’s water resource 

monitoring agency, with one or more offices in every State and a National stream and 

groundwater monitoring network that supports water management efforts at State and local 

levels, as well as vast western water resources managed by two other Department of the Interior 

bureaus: the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The USGS 

has a long-established hydroclimatology research program and is the primary Federal science 

agency for water resource information. The USGS monitors the quantity and quality of water in 

the Nation's rivers and aquifers and develops tools to improve the application of hydrologic 

information, including the effects of a changing climate. This broad, diverse mission cannot be 

accomplished effectively without the contributions of the Cooperative Water Program with the 

50 states. For more than 100 years, the Cooperative Program has been a highly successful costsharing partnership between the USGS and water-resource agencies at the State, local, and Tribal 

Nation levels. 

The USGS carries out research in climate change, regional hydrology, the carbon cycle, coastal 

erosion, and glaciology. The Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) program is 

studying processes controlling water, energy, and biogeochemical fluxes at five small research 

watersheds in the United States. This program includes research on the effects of atmospheric 

and climatic variables on watershed processes. There are also a number of ongoing studies to 

characterize trends in hydrologic data and to relate these trends to climatic variables. Researchers 

are also using global and regional climate models to enhance understanding of the potential 

effects of climate change and climate variability on U.S. land and water resources. 

Glacier Monitoring. As part of its glaciology program, the USGS maintains an observation 

program on three benchmark glaciers representative of different climatic zones of the western 

United States, one in Washington, one on the south coast of Alaska, and one in the interior of 

Alaska. At each glacier, the program measures the winter snow accumulation, summer snow and 

ice ablation, air temperature, and runoff in the glacier basin. Beginning in 1959, this is the 

longest such record in North America. Analysis of this record is providing a greater 

understanding of climate variability and its effects on water resources of the western United 

States. The record clearly shows the effects of changing winter precipitation patterns associated 

with atmospheric conditions in the northeast Pacific Ocean, including El Niño-La Niña events 

and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. 

To augment its glacier monitoring efforts, the USGS is using National Systems data to measure 

fluctuations of glaciers in Alaska, Washington, and Montana. Mountain glaciers are ideal 

subjects for these systems because they are remote, have an appropriate space scale, and require 

infrequent but repetitive observations. The observations have established a baseline of regional 

glacial conditions. The resulting archive of ongoing observations is being used to determine 

recent trends in glacier size and terminus location. In addition, techniques have been developed 

to generate derived products that provide critical glacial parameters, including DEMs, 

equilibrium line altitudes, and ablation rates. These products are being incorporated into a glacial 
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Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-98 

production runs for activities such as the IPCC assessments. Its modeling activities are flexible, 

with quickly implemented experimental designs that are often modified through an iterative 

process involving cross-disciplinary researchers. 

The figure to the right depicts some of the potential areas of USGS collaboration and support 

toward a coordinated interagency national climate services program. 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Science Mission Directorate, Earth Science Division 

The 2010 National Space Policy stated that NASA plays a crucial role in global climate change 

research and sustained monitoring capabilities, and advances research into and scientific 

knowledge of the global integrated Earth system by accelerating development of new Earth 

observing satellites. The NASA program on global climate change research is comprehensive, 

encompassing continuous interactions between satellite mission development and formulation, 

satellite data analyses, Earth system modeling, new technology, and state-of-the-art scientific 

knowledge for applications. Scientific research and data analysis are conducted through 

competitive peer-reviewed opportunities offered through Research Opportunities in Space and 

Earth Science (ROSES) announcements. 

NASA’s climate research program is unique because it encompasses the development of 

observational techniques and the instrument technologies needed to implement them; laboratory 

testing and demonstrations from an appropriate set of surface-, balloon-, aircraft-, and spacebased platforms; development and operation of satellite missions and production and 

dissemination of the data products resulting from these missions; research to increase basic 

process knowledge; incorporation of observations and research results into complex 

computational models that can be used to more fully characterize the present state of the 

environment and predict the future evolution of the Earth system; and development of 

partnerships with other national and international organizations that can use the generated 

information in environmental forecasting and in policy, business, and management decisions. 

NASA is the largest funding contributor to the 13-agency United States Global Change Research 

Program (USGCRP) and provides the bulk of the global observations and research by the 

USGCRP. NASA delivers much of the observations and research that forms the basis for 

international scientific assessments of climate change and other subjects such as ozone. NASA 

also served as the chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Strategic 

Implementation Team (CEOS SIT) from November 2011 through November 2013. 

Satellite Missions. Satellites provide critical climate change measurements via global coverage,

frequent sampling in both space and time, and near-uniform accuracy and stability. NASA 

initiated, and in selected cases sustained for more than a decade, many global, high accuracy, 

well-calibrated data records, such as total solar irradiance at the top of the atmosphere; Arctic 

Ocean sea ice extent and thickness; Antarctic and Greenland mass change and other 

characteristics; global sea level and global ocean surface vector wind; global ocean near-surface 

chlorophyll-a concentration; global land use and land cover; ozone in the stratosphere; and, 

global precipitation, including water vapor, rainfall and snow. These critical climate data records 
 Climate Services 

2-99 

are a foundation for national and international studies of global and regional climate change, sea 

level rise, and study of the earth as a system. 

NASA has 9 on-orbit satellite missions related to climate services, as defined by this Federal 

Plan: Aqua, Aquarius/SAC-D, Cloudsat, OSTM, QuikSCAT, Suomi-National Polar-orbiting 

Partnership (NPP), and TRMM. Table 1 lists the climate services themes supported by these 

missions. On February 11, 2013, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) was launched 

successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base. LDCM, partnership between NASA and USGS, 

is the eighth in the series of Landsat satellites, and continues a land-surface imagery dataset first 

initiated in 1972. In May 2013, USGS assumed responsibility for satellite operations and for 

collecting, archiving and distributing data following an initial in-orbit check out period; the 

satellite was renamed LandSat 8. 

Table 1. Correlation of NASA Earth Science Division operating satellite missions with OFCM 

themes of climate services. 

 Satellite Launch Date Climate Services Theme 

Aqua May 2002 Atmospheric composition; carbon cycle; climate variability and 

 change; water cycle 

Aquarius Jun 2011 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

Aura Jul 2004 Atmospheric composition 

CALIPSO Apr 2006 Atmospheric composition; water cycle 

CloudSat Apr 2006 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

OSTM Jun 2008 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

QuikSCAT Jun 1999 Climate variability and change 

Suomi NPP Oct 2011 Atmospheric composition; carbon cycle; climate variability and 

change; water cycle 

TRMM Nov 1997 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

A daunting challenge in supporting the complexity of global and regional climate change science 

is the huge number of biological, chemical and physical variables that must be measured 

simultaneously at all locations. To approximate a solution, NASA engineered constellations of 

satellites flying in close formation. NASA’s Aura, CALIPSO, CloudSat, and Aqua satellites, 

together with the French PARASOL satellite now placed at a lower orbit and the Japanese 

GCOM-W1 (Shizuku) mission, are called the “A-Train” constellation and produce an 

unprecedented quantity of data for atmospheric chemistry and composition. The time separation 

between the front and rear of the A-Train is 11 minutes, less than the lifetime of most clouds; 

this important feature allows researchers to utilize multi-satellite observations to examine 

processes related to cirrus cloud formation in large-scale models. 

NASA has 5 satellite missions in development (Table 2) related to climate services, as defined 

by this Federal Plan, for launch from 2014 to 2020. Now that LDCM has launched, GPM is the 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-100 

last of the foundational missions that the Decadal Survey by the National Research Council1

assumed would be a precursor to Decadal Survey missions. SMAP is a Tier-1 Decadal Survey 

mission. Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is a Tier 2 Decadal Survey mission that 

was accelerated by the Climate Initiative to provide insight into the movement and distribution of 

Earth surface waters including both freshwater and oceans. CYGNSS is the first in the Earth 

Venture-class series of rapidly developed, cost-constrained small space missions, and is referred 

to as EVM-1 (Earth Venture Mission-1). Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution 

(TEMPO) is the first in the Earth Venture-class series of instrument missions of opportunity that 

will fly as hosted payloads on commercial or government satellites. 

Table 2. Correlation of NASA Earth Science Division missions in development with OFCM 

themes of climate services. 

Satellite Planned Launch Theme 

GPM Feb 2014 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

SMAP 2014 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

CYGNSS 2016 Water Cycle 

TEMPO 2017 Atmospheric composition; climate variability and 

 change 

SWOT 2020 Climate variability and change; water cycle 

NASA continues with the pre-formulation studies of the other Decadal Survey missions 

(including Tier-1 missions, L-Band SAR and CLARREO, Tier-2 missions, ASCENDS, ACE, 

GEO-CAPE, and HyspIRI, as well as Tier 3 missions, LIST, PATH, GRACE-II, SCLP, GACM 

and 3-D Winds). Additionally, the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) makes significant 

investments in technology development projects directly addressing the priorities outlined for all 

tiered missions of the Decadal Survey through development of observation systems and 

information systems technologies. 

The following activities will be undertaken or accomplished in FY 2014. 

 GPM will launch in February 2014. It will complete its pre-ship testing and be delivered 

to the launch site in Japan, the Tanegashima Space Center. 

 SMAP will complete its observatory environmental testing and be delivered for launch. 

 CYGNSS will complete its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and enter implementation 

(Phase C). 

 TEMPO will complete its Key Decision Point – B (KDP-B) review and enter Phase B 

 SWOT will complete its Mission Design Review (MDR) and enter Phase B. 

 During FY 2013, most of the initial 5-year Making Earth System Data Records for Use in 

Research Environments (MEaSUREs) projects were finalized, with Earth System Data 

Records (ESDR) being archived and distributed by EOSDIS to the NASA communities.

 

1

 National Research Council (2007) Earth Science and Applications From Space: National Imperatives for the Next 

Decade and Beyond, 428 pp. 
 Climate Services 

2-101 

A second selection of 29 competitively selected MEaSUREs projects commenced in FY 

2013. In FY 2014, all remaining initial ESDRs will be available.

NASA Science Research 

NASA’s Earth Science Research Program addresses complex, interdisciplinary Earth science 

problems in pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of the Earth system. The Program 

pioneers the use of both space-borne and aircraft measurements through its implementation of 

several elements: multi-disciplinary research and analysis, interdisciplinary research, airborne 

science, modeling and data assimilation, and enabling capabilities, with the bulk of the solicited 

research coming in the first of these. Research and analysis (R&A) emphasizes the development 

of new scientific knowledge, including the analysis of data from NASA satellite missions and the 

development and application of complex models that assimilate these science data products 

and/or use them for improving predictive capabilities. 

The following research activities will be undertaken or accomplished in FY 2014: 

 Release request for proposals through ROSES. 

 Continue expanding the supercomputing capacity to 1.5 quadrillion computer operations 

per second (petaflops) for weather and climate modeling using the combination of CPUs 

and multi-core accelerator technologies such as Intel Phi and NVIDIA GPU processors. 

 IceBridge will continue characterizing change in the polar ice sheets. By mid-May, sea 

ice and snow thickness measurements will be produced and made available at the 

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC.org). These measurements will be used by 

the Arctic modeling community to forecast the yearly sea ice minimum in September, 

which is useful to planning by various federal agencies and researchers studying Arctic 

change. In early FY 2014, IceBridge will perform its first on-continent operation in 

Antarctica with the NASA P-3 aircraft by deploying to McMurdo Station in conjunction 

with the National Science Foundation’s US Antarctic Program. 

 Increase the number of science data products delivered to EOSDIS. 

 Continue operation of ground networks for measuring time evolution of atmospheric 

trace constituents, including gases and aerosols. 

 The Earth Venture-1 (EV-1) missions are conducting the following research: 

o The ATTREX EV-1 investigation uses one of the NASA Global Hawk 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) to investigate the physics and chemistry of 

the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. ATTREX will hold its 

second and third full science deployments in FY 2014 out of Guam in two 

different seasons. 

o The DISCOVER-AQ EV-1 investigation uses airborne and ground-based 

measurements of trace gases and aerosols, correlated with satellite remote sensing 

measurements, to improve our ability to characterize and predict air quality. In 

order to continue efforts to characterize a variety of urban environments, a third 

measurements campaign is planned for Houston, Texas during September 2013. 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-102 

o The CARVE EV-1 investigation uses a Sherpa aircraft to make in-situ 

measurements of greenhouse gases and remote sensing observations over the 

permafrost region in Alaska during freeze-thaw transitions. The increased 

understanding of the permafrost region as a source of climate altering atmospheric 

species will be an important advance in our understanding of the earth system. 

o The HS3 EV-1 investigation uses two Global Hawk UASs around and in 

hurricanes. The one Global Hawk payload is optimized for direct observations of 

the hurricane itself. The other payload includes sensors, which measure important 

parameters in the region surrounding the storm to help improve our understanding 

of tropical cyclone genesis and behavior. HS3 results will also improve our ability 

to predict storm path and intensity. 

o The AirMOSS EV-1 investigation uses an ultra-high frequency synthetic aperture 

radar to measure high spatial resolution soil moisture to provide insight into the 

growth of vegetation and the uptake of carbon dioxide. The radar, deployed on a 

Gulfstream 3, will operate over nine diverse biomes over a three year span to 

provide information on a wide variety of climates and ecosystems. 

 The first of the Earth Venture Instrument selection (EVI-1) was made in FY 2013. The 

selection for a commercial geostationary satellite for the TEMPO instrument is expected 

in late FY 2014 or early FY 2015. The second EVI solicitation (EVI-2) was released in 

late FY 2013 with selections expected in FY 2014. 

 The EV-2 CYGNSS project has made significant progress during the year since selection. 

A number of team members are beginning development on the science product 

algorithms. Other science team members have been actively developing and accessing 

nature models for use in evaluating the proposed algorithms. The requirements and 

design activities to produce the satellite constellation are well underway. The SRR and 

associated KDP-B were successfully completed and authorized entry of the project into 

the final phase of formulation. Several studies have been completed, the most significant 

of which is the analysis for the internal constellation proximity assessment. This 

assessment provided adequate margin that the satellites making up the CYGNSS 

constellation would not re-connect during the expected lifetime. All sub-contractors are 

selected and all contracts were finalized prior to the SRR.

Department of Energy/Office of Science 

DOE’s Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD) within the Office of Science 

focuses on a predictive, systems-level understanding of the fundamental science associated with 

climate change and DOE's environmental challenges; both key to support the DOE mission. 

CESD supports an integrated portfolio of research ranging from molecular to field scale studies 

with emphasis on the use of advanced computer models and multidisciplinary experimentation. 

As discussed next, CESD supports three research activities and two national scientific user 

facilities: 
 Climate Services 

2-103 

Atmospheric System Research (ASR) 

The ASR activity seeks to resolve the two major areas of uncertainty in climate change 

projections: the role of clouds and the effects of aerosol emissions on the atmospheric radiation 

balance. Research from the ASR program results in improved physical formulations leading to 

state-of-the-art science related to clouds, aerosols, radiation, and precipitation. The program is 

geared to observe and advance understanding of the atmospheric system in a holistic, 

comprehensive fashion that addresses the full range of interrelated climatic processes. The 

anticipated end result is that climate models will have reduced uncertainty and improved climate 

simulation capability so that climate models can be used with increased confidence in decisionand policy making. 

Climate and Earth System Modeling 

Climate and Earth System Modeling in CESD focuses on development, evaluation, and use of 

Regional and Global Climate Modeling (RGCM), the development of Earth System Models 

(ESM), and Integrated Assessment Models to determine the impacts and possible mitigation, of 

climate change. 

Achieving greater detail about uncertainty and future variability of the earth climate system is 

critical for decision-makers. There is a need to ascertain shifts in major modes of climate 

variability and climate extremes, to detect and attribute regional manifestations of climate 

change, and to conduct ever more thorough model validation. All these goals of the RGCM 

program remain significant challenges. This program also provides support for national and 

international climate modeling research and assessments. An understanding of the model biases 

seamlessly feeds back to the ESM program. 

RGCM activities are organized into several distinct but coordinated components: 

 The Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) develops 

improved methods and tools for the diagnosis and intercomparison of climate and Earth 

system models. It provides major facilities for archiving climate model output, including 

frequently analyzed variables such as those used for the IPCC Assessment Reports. 

PCMDI makes such model output readily accessible to the climate modeling community. 

 The Climate, Ocean and Sea Ice Modeling Project (COSIM) continues to develop the 

ocean model POP (Parallel Ocean Program), its hybrid-coordinate successor (HYPOP), 

and a sea ice model (CICE). COSIM is also developing a new Community Ice Sheet 

Model (CISM), designed for use at high spatial resolutions and at high latitudes. The 

scientific thrust of this work is to understand the role of oceans and ice in climate change, 

including (1) future sea-level rise caused by thermal expansion of the ocean and by 

melting of land ice; (2) stability of the high-latitude ocean thermohaline circulation; and 

(3) the unique high-latitude marine and ice ecosystems that reside along the ice edge and 

how they respond to changes in sea ice extent, including consequences for carbon and 

sulfur uptake and exchange. 

 Multi-century simulations using the Climate Change Simulation Model (CCSM) are 

conducted by the DOE Climate Change Project at the National Center for Atmospheric 
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-104 

Research (NCAR). Analysis of CCSM simulations provides insights into how natural and 

anthropogenic forcings affect the coupled climate system. 

Research from the ESM program results in improved state-of-the-science dynamically coupled 

models for understanding future variability and predictability of the climate system. Significant 

scientific challenges need to be addressed, such as future changes in major modes of climate 

variability, climate extremes in a changing climate, detecting and attributing the regional 

manifestations of climate change, and carbon-cycle interactions with climate. Improved climate 

information at high spatial and temporal resolution is of immense significance to society and 

decision-makers. 

Climate change is real, its effects are more immediate and profound than previously anticipated, 

and old questions (are humans the cause?) are yielding to new ones: What are the impacts? Who 

and what will be most vulnerable? What can we do about it, and how can we prepare? Against 

this backdrop, and with an eye toward: (1) regional and local scale insights; (2) quantitative 

predictions at the decadal, annual, and even shorter time scales; (3) policy-making, planning and 

decision-support tools; (4) impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability studies; and (5) highly 

integrated analyses spanning energy, environment, and economic security, new or vastly 

improved Integrated Assessment Models will inform some of the most significant U.S. energy 

and other infrastructure decisions and investments of this century. These models shape our 

fundamental understanding of climate change: the drivers of climate change; its pace and 

consequences; the implications and role for energy systems of the future; changes in availability 

of natural resources, food, and water; and shifts in global economies, vulnerabilities and overall 

national security. 

Environmental System Science 

The Environmental System Science activity in CESD seeks to advance a robust predictive 

understanding of energy-derived byproducts in terrestrial ecosystems extending from the bedrock 

to the top of the canopy and from molecular to global scales. This activity focuses on 

understanding the role of terrestrial ecosystems in a changing climate2

 and the role of subsurface 

biogeochemical processes in the fate and transport of heavy metal and radionuclide contaminants 

in subsurface systems.3

 DOE is responsible for what has been described as the largest, most 

complex, and diverse collection of environmental remediation challenges in the nation. While 

some of the problems are tractable and require only time and money to resolve, a large fraction 

of them cannot be resolved with existing knowledge and technology. The need for solutions to 

these challenging environmental remediation problems drives the Environmental System Science 

program. 

Future climatic changes will almost certainly affect many important organisms and processes in 

terrestrial ecosystems, and these ecosystems provide society with a host of essential goods and 

services. The Environmental System Science program's research is directed at obtaining and then 

disseminating scientific knowledge of the most important effects of climatic change on 

ecosystems so that society can understand the ecological implications of climatic change and 

 

2

 See http://science.energy.gov/ber/research/cesd/terrestrial-ecosystem-science/. 

3

 See http://science.energy.gov/ber/research/cesd/subsurface-biogeochemical-research/. 
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Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

2-106 

Each ARM site uses a leading-edge array of cloud-, aerosol-, and precipitation-observing 

instruments to record long-term continuous measurements of atmospheric and surface properties. 

ARM also provides shorter term (months rather than years) measurements with its two mobile 

ground facilities and aerial measurement capability. The combination of high temporal resolution 

at discrete locations makes ARM observations uniquely suited for studying local cloud 

processes, many aspects of which remain poorly represented in climate models. The resultant 

data are available through the ARM’s data archive. These data are used as a resource for over 

100 journal articles per year, which represent tangible evidence of the ARM's contribution to 

advances in most areas of atmospheric radiation and cloud research. Additional programmatic 

information is available via the ARM homepage on the Internet. In 2013, ARM initiated its 

strategy to improve climate predictability by combining High resolution earth system modeling; 

ARM facility observations, and Ecosystem research by initiating and enhancing its NSA 

infrastructure complex at Oliktok Point, Alaska. This will include the installation of a third ARM 

Mobile Facility (AMF3) that includes its Restricted Air Space (RA-2204). ARM plans to utilize 

tethered balloon and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in order to address the climate changing 

issues in the Arctic. 

EMSL offers users access to more than 60 major systems, including many one-of-a-kind 

analytical instruments for studying atomic to molecular to larger-scale processes, a 

supercomputing platform and associated computational chemistry software, and the in-house 

scientific expertise to help obtain high quality results in a timely fashion. By co-locating multiple 

types of capabilities and scientific expertise, EMSL serves as an ideal place for research teams 

interested in integrating theory with experiment, as well as a place to conduct a wide range of 

single-investigator studies. 

Detailed scientific knowledge of the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring at the 

most fundamental levels is necessary to discover and fully utilize breakthroughs in areas such as 

hydrogen as a new energy source, improved catalysts and materials for industrial applications, 

insights into the factors influencing climate change and carbon sequestration processes, new 

approaches to managing legacy wastes such as radionuclide and heavy metal contamination, and 

making bioenergy sources a reality. The complex nature of DOE's energy, science, and 

environmental missions demands a wide range of leading-edge experimental and computational 

capabilities to enable scientists to conduct fundamental and multidisciplinary research using 

multiple experiment and computational approaches that will lead to scientific advances to help 

address the DOE missions. EMSL provides these leading-edge experimental and computational 

capabilities to the scientific community.

DOE’s Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments Project 

The Arctic is undergoing a system-wide reorganization in response to an altered climate. The 

mechanisms responsible for this change have been unpredictable and difficult to isolate due to a 

large number of interactions among individual components of the system. The Next-Generation 

Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) project will quantify the complex physical, chemical, and 

biological behavior of terrestrial ecosystems in Alaska. The project will focus on interactions that 

drive ecosystem-climate feedbacks through greenhouse-gas fluxes and changes in surface energy 

balance associated with thawing permafrost and threshold-dominated permafrost degradation and 
 Climate Services 

2-107 

thermokarst formation. Research sites will be located along a bioclimate gradient that spans 

tundra and shrub-tundra transition zones on the 

North Slope and Seward Peninsula. 

The vision for the NGEE project is to deliver a 

high-resolution terrestrial system model for coupled 

thermal, hydrological, geomorphic, 

biogeochemical, and vegetation processes as needed 

to predict the evolution of a warming Arctic 

landscape and its feedback to the global climate 

system. This vision includes field observations, 

laboratory experiments, and modeling of critical 

and interrelated water, nitrogen, carbon, and energy 

dynamics and the important interactions, from the 

molecular scale to the landscape scale, that drive 

feedbacks to the climate system. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

The National Science Foundation funds 

basic climate research, modeling, and 

process studies. This research portfolio 

includes support to individual investigators 

and to groups such as the Center for OceanLand-Atmosphere Studies (COLA), the 

Center for Multiscale Modeling of 

Atmospheric Processes, and NCAR. With 

DOE as a partner, NSF funds NCAR to 

develop, maintain, and support the 

Community Earth System Model (CESM), 

a fully-coupled global climate model that 

provides state-of-the-art computer 

simulations of the Earth’s past, present, and 

future climate states. As part of a crossdirectorate and interagency effort, NSF, 

DOE and USDA have funded two rounds 

of awards with a focus on decadal and 

regional prediction using Earth System 

Models. The budget for this work 

continues into FY14. In FY14, the 

NCAR/Wyoming Supercomputer will be 

fully online, and made available for a 

variety of research topics, including climate 

modeling studies, partially satisfying the 

ever growing need in the climate community for new computing resources. 

The new scanning precipitation radar at 

the Barrow, Alaska, ARM site. 

The NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center provides 

advanced computing services to scientists studying a broad 

range of disciplines, including weather, climate, oceanography, 

air pollution, space weather, computational science, energy 

production, and carbon sequestration. It also houses a 

landmark data storage and archival facility that will hold, among 

other scientific data, unique historical climate records. 

Courtesy: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Section 2. Federal Meteorological Services and Supporting Research Programs 

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EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND 

HOMELAND SECURITY SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to support U.S. citizens 

and first responders to ensure that as a Nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve 

our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

In carrying out its role, FEMA works with the Federal scientific community and meteorological 

agencies to ensure that appropriate risk information for hazards, vulnerabilities, and 

consequences is used to execute this mission. 

FEMA’s Planning Division administers 

the National Hurricane Program, which 

conducts hurricane evacuation studies, 

provides evacuation decision-making 

training, and provides a range of hurricane 

evacuation decision support tools to State 

and local government emergency 

management officials to develop their 

hurricane evacuation plans. Under an 

Interagency Agreement with the National 

Weather Service’s National Hurricane 

Center (NWS/NHC), the NHC builds and 

utilizes its SLOSH (Sea, Lake and 

Overland Surges from Hurricanes) storm 

surge model as the hazard analysis basis 

for Hurricane Program studies, training, and decision support to State and local governments.. 

It is critical for FEMA to identify, develop, and/or utilize the most appropriate meteorological 

information to calibrate its preparedness, response, and recovery activities to build and deploy 

emergency management capability, and to design and implement mitigation measures which 

reduce the con–sequences from emergencies and disasters. These interests extend to national 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Emergency Response and Homeland Security Services are those 

specialized meteorological services and facilities established to meet the requirements of Federal, 

state, and local agencies responding to natural disasters and security incidents. This category includes 

the use of atmospheric transport and diffusion (ATD) models for predicting the dispersion of airborne 

toxic substances; it also includes natural disaster monitoring and prediction services and the transport 

of water-borne toxic substances not included in basic services. For example, numerical weather 

prediction models used to forecast the path, intensity, and storm surge of landfalling tropical cyclones 

are part of basic services. Downstream models of the effects of a landfalling tropical cyclone on the 

infrastructure and population of a particular populated area could be included in this service category. 

FEMA’s interagency collaboration and support is key 

to disaster impact assessments and plans.
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standards for geographic information systems (GIS) used for delivery of meteorological products 

and services by other agencies. As administrator of the National Flood Insurance Program 

(NFIP), FEMA publishes Flood Insurance Rate Maps for all flood-prone communities, which 

serve as the official demarcation for flood risk. 

As part of its National Hurricane Program, FEMA also licenses, operates, maintains and 

distributes the HURREVAC software decision-support tool to approximately 20,000 local and 

state government coastal emergency managers annually. HURREVAC combines real-time NHC 

forecast data with evacuation clearance times to guide emergency managers as to when to 

execute hurricane evacuations to ensure evacuation is completed before the arrival of hurricane 

conditions. Additional information can be found at http://www.fema.gov/region-iii-mitigationdivision/national-hurricane-program 

FEMA actively supports the OFCM-sponsored Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments 

and Plans: Weather and Water Data (WG/DIAP) and the WG/DIAP’s efforts to develop and 

implement the National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments which outlines the interagency 

procedures to coordinate and support the collection of perishable data after major storms. (see 

related COASTAL Act narrative on page 2-6) These data have applications in post-disaster mitigation activities, the NFIP flood hazard analysis, the FEMA National Hurricane Program 

hurricane, and other FEMA risk analysis activities, such as the Multi-Hazard Loss Estimation 

Methodology (HAZUS). The National Hurricane Program is the principal FEMA contact point 

for most meteorological matters, while the FEMA Risk Analysis Division is the primary contact 

for NFIP flood risk analysis. 

U.S. Coast Guard 

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) directly supports all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

missions. It provides DHS the broad authorities, capabilities, and partnerships necessary to 

accomplish its tasks in the maritime domain. 

Coast Guard has three broad roles: Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Maritime 

Stewardship. Each USCG role is composed of several statutory missions. Each of the eleven 

statutory missions is listed below under the appropriate role. 

 AFWA provides backup to several NOAA operational centers, maintaining capabilities 

(for example) in severe weather, aviation, volcanic ash dispersion, and space weather, 

available if and when needed to support emergency response and homeland security. 

 Maritime Safety Missions 

• Marine Safety 

• Search and Rescue 

 Maritime Security Missions 

• Drug Interdiction 

• Migrant Interdiction 

• Defense Readiness 

• Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security 
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 Maritime Stewardship Missions 

• Living Marine Resources 

• Marine Environmental Protection 

• Other Law Enforcement (Fisheries) 

• Aids to Navigation 

• Ice Operations 

Most USCG missions support more than one role. For example, the Aids to Navigation mission 

primarily supports the Maritime Stewardship role by preventing pollution from vessel 

groundings and collisions, while facilitating the movement of people and goods. But this mission 

also supports our Maritime Safety Role by preventing accidents, injuries, and deaths. These 

interwoven roles and complementary missions call for Coast Guard personnel and resources that 

are similarly multi-mission capable. This characteristic of USCG people and platforms—their 

ability to perform multiple missions—brings greater effectiveness, insight, and agility to bear in 

any situation. It is a fundamental source of the Coast Guard’s strength. 

Support for meteorological operations and supporting research is detailed in other sections of this 

plan. 

Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center 

The IMAAC provides a single point for the coordination and dissemination of Federal dispersion 

modeling and hazard prediction products that represent the Federal position during actual or 

potential incidents involving hazardous atmospheric releases. Through plume modeling analysis, 

the IMAAC provides emergency responders with predictions of hazards associated with 

atmospheric releases to aid in the decision making process to protect the public and the 

environment. 

The IMAAC is led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and supported by seven 

other federal departments and agencies: Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy 

(DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The IMAAC 

Technical Operations Hub is operated by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). 

Decision makers and first responders need timely and accurate plume predictions to help guide 

emergency response decisions. The IMAAC provides a suite of plume modeling tools that 

incorporate meteorological, geographic and demographic data, as well as hazardous material 

information, to predict the transport and potential downwind consequences of biological, 

chemical, radiological/nuclear, and natural releases. The IMAAC experts are available 24/7 to 

produce detailed quality-assured model predictions, utilize observations and field measurement 

data to refine analyses, and assist decision makers in product interpretation. 

The IMAAC produces both technical analyses and briefing products tailored for communications 

to non-technical decision makers. The IMAAC plots show hazard areas, affected populations, 

potential casualties and/or fatalities, damage estimates, and health effect, public protective action 

and worker protection levels. The IMAAC utilizes NOAA National Weather Service’s 
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meteorological observations as well as variety of other available numerical weather prediction 

models (NWP) for the plume products. During IMAAC activations, the IMAAC Technical 

Operations Hub will consult with NOAA to determine the preferred higher-resolution forecast 

model for the event and will utilize that model if possible. 

The IMAAC has responded to numerous real-world events, including chemical fires and train 

derailments, in-situ burns from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and sulfur dioxide volcanic 

emissions in Hawaii. 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP). The National Weather Service 

(NWS) has oversight responsibility for the NTHMP. The mission of the NTHMP is to work 

with communities in vulnerable U.S. coastal areas on preparedness activities to respond to 

tsunami events. In response to the destructive Indian Ocean Tsunami (December 2004), the U.S. 

Tsunami Warning Program, including the NTHMP, was upgraded and expanded to enhance the 

monitoring, detection, warning, and communications capabilities designed to protect lives and 

property for all U.S. communities at risk. 

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). NWR is used as a reliable means of communicating weatherrelated warnings directly to the public. NWR is a nationwide network of radio stations 

broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service 

office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard 

information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working with the Federal Communication 

Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System, NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making 

it a single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with 

Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts 

warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as 

earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public 

safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages). 

FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts.

The NWS pushes watches, warnings, advisories, and special statements in Common Alerting 

Protocol (CAP) format to the FEMA IPAWS Alert Aggregator. Warnings which pose an 

“imminent threat” to the general public pass through IPAWS to commercial wireless carriers and 

are broadcast as a 90 character Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messaged on WEA-capable 

cell phones. The message notifies the recipient of the alert type, expiration time, a brief 

description of the action to be taken, and name of the alert originator (i.e., NWS). All major and 

numerous smaller wireless carriers provide the CMAS/WEA service and more continue to come 

online. As of 2013, some carriers already had well over 30 WEA-capable devices on the market. 

By summer 2013, the NWS and FEMA will make NWS CAP messages in FEMA IPAWS 

available to FEMA approved partners for repackaging and redistribution. In support of the 

Emergency Alert System (EAS), the NWS is working with FEMA, the Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC), broadcast industry, and related partners on solutions which would allow 

NWS produced CAP to be capable of triggering EAS and compatible with EAS signals broadcast 

by NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). 
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Interagency Activities. In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NWS 

forecasters provide meteorological support for response to terrorist acts and other homeland 

security concerns, as well as accidental releases/spills of hazardous chemical, biological, or 

radioactive materials or other environmental events. The NWS has a meteorologist permanently 

deployed at FEMA’s National Watch Center as a liaison to provide real-time information to 

national decision makers. Similarly, NOAA has a liaison deployed to the DHS National 

Operations Center. 

NWS meteorologists provide forecasts in response to Incidents of National Significance such as 

the space shuttle Columbia recovery effort, volcanic eruptions in Iceland, Sandy, and after major 

tornado events such as those in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri during the spring of 

2011. In addition, the NWS deploys a national cadre of specially trained Incident Meteorologists 

(IMETs) to provide onsite support for large wildfires and other homeland security concerns, as 

well as for accidental releases/spills of hazardous chemical, biological, or radioactive materials. 

NOAA/National Ocean Service 

Coastal Oceanographic Applications and Services for Tides and Lakes (COASTAL). The 

COASTAL program focuses on non-navigational applications of CO-OPS observing systems, 

data, and products for ecosystem restoration and 

management. COASTAL also provides decision-support 

tools to aid managers and restoration practitioners to plan 

for both current and future coastal conditions, and to 

anticipate and mitigate natural hazards. Real-time water 

level and meteorological information is critical for 

emergency managers to make decisions related to 

evacuation and warnings for coastal communities as well 

as to produce storm surge predictions. 

The Storm QuickLook product in particular incorporates 

water level and meteorological information measured at 

National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) 

and Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System 

(PORTS®) stations. Storm QuickLook bulletins are 

posted for tropical cyclones that affect the United States 

coastline, but have also been created for the Deepwater 

Horizon oil spill and, in FY 2011, for elevated water 

levels in the Mississippi River. These bulletins provide 

near real-time, continuously updating oceanographic and 

meteorological data measured at affected water level 

stations and are displayed on the CO-OPS website and on 

the NOAAWatch (the NOAA All-Hazard Monitor) page. 

FY 2014 goals for this product are to enhance displays 

and make the product more dynamic. Also, 6-minute interval GOES transmission capability 

supports the NWS storm surge warning program when expected water level elevations are 

predicted or observed during coastal storms and hurricanes. COASTAL also provides aid to 

Tsunami Warning Centers, by supplying one-minute water level observations at coastal NWLON 

Water level station with meteorological 

sensor. Photo credit NOS
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stations, as well as 15-second data as requested after a tsunami event. These data are used to 

assess the impact and damage of a tsunami. 

NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

Among the NOAA/OMAO airborne observing systems fleet, the King Air (N68RF), AC-695A 

Commander 1000 (N45RF) and the Twin Otters (4 aircraft) can perform damage assessment 

flights following natural disasters. They provide high-resolution photographs to the public via 

the Internet. These photographs are extremely useful to local, county, and state government 

personnel, as well as to emergency managers and to the public at large, as they go about the 

business of assessing the damage and the nature and magnitude of the relief effort that will be 

required in the region. 

United States Air Force

Air Force Weather (AFW) enables Joint Warfighters to anticipate and exploit the weather for air, 

ground, space, cyberspace, and intelligence operations. As this applies to the ‘Emergency 

Response and Homeland Security Services’ category, AFW provides meteorological 

environmental information, products, and services required to support Air Force, Army, and 

other military operations in order to support the Nation’s emergency response and homeland 

security efforts. Different organizations within AFW support various aspects of the Nation’s 

homeland security efforts: 

 The Air Force Weather Agency’s (AFWA) 1st Weather Group produces environmental 

products used to support both the daily and emergency response and homeland security 

operations of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American 

Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). AFWA produces fine-resolution model and 

forecast products for use by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in its hazard 

dispersion modeling and related emergency planning and response efforts. 

 AFWA produces both CONUS and worldwide geospatial representations of current and 

forecast weather used to support the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in 

its homeland security mission. 

 AFWA provides backup to several NOAA operational centers, maintaining capabilities 

(for example) in severe weather, aviation, volcanic ash dispersion, and space weather, 

available if and when needed to support emergency response and homeland security. 

 The Air Force’s overseas Operational Weather Squadrons (the 17th OWS in Hawaii and 

the 21st OWS in Germany) may support emergency planning and response operations in 

their respective areas of responsibility. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), 

operated jointly with the Navy in Hawaii, routinely works with its sister U.S. hurricane 

forecast centers to issue forecasts and warnings to protect U.S. assets and interests across 

the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. 
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United States Navy

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response 

Navy METOC personnel support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HA/DR) 

operations aboard U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels. Military oceanographic survey vessels 

designated as T-AGS are continuously forward deployed and conduct hydrographic, 

oceanographic, and acoustic surveys in all the oceans of the world. These ships have modern full 

ocean depth multi-beam and single-beam sonar systems for accurately measuring bottom depths 

and features, towed side-scan sonar systems for acoustic imaging of bottom features and 

navigation hazards, ocean current profilers, sub-bottom profilers for measuring stratification of 

seabed sediments, and over-the-side devices that collect physical ocean parameters such as 

temperature and salinity with depth. These ships are capable of hosting a number of roll-on/rolloff systems, including systems for collection of seismic data and unmanned underwater vehicles. 

The ships are also equipped with C-band communications to send data directly back to the Naval 

Oceanographic Office for immediate processing. Three of the ships are complemented with 

hydrographic survey vessels—smaller craft for shallow water hydrographic collection. We have 

been operating unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for well over a decade. Their inventory 

consists of propelled vehicles, such as various models of the Remote Environmental Monitoring 

Units (REMUS) UUVs for collection of sonar, sub-bottom and optical data in addition to 

buoyancy controlled, high endurance UUVs, such as the Slocum glider and wave-powered 

Sensor Hosting Autonomous Remote Craft (SHARC) vehicles, which collect and transmit ocean 

and atmospheric data in real time for satellite transfer back to our operational production centers. 

Navy uses UUVs for direct support to operation missions. As part of our hydrographic 

capability, it also employs unique jet-ski variants called Expeditionary Survey Vehicles or ESVs. 

Outfitted with single-beam and side-scan sonar, in addition to accurate Global Positioning 

System navigation, ESVs can be rapidly deployed and conduct hydrographic survey into the surf 

zone, to places where traditional systems cannot go. This data is extremely useful for supporting 

expeditionary warfare and enabling missions like humanitarian assistance and disaster response. 

Weather forecasts and surveys of anchorages and piers provided commanders with the status of 

port accessibility, ensuring accessibility to the port critical to allowing food, water, medical 

supplies, materials, and other support to arrive by sea. 

Partnerships and Stability Operations 

Partnerships provide access to data sources, insight into emerging science and technology, and 

help all parties leverage limited budgets by reducing redundancy and pooling capabilities. Naval 

operational oceanography has a long history of executing cooperative military hydrographic and 

oceanographic surveys, as well as data, product and subject matter exchanges with international 

partners. Its ability to provide emerging partners with improved capabilities in the areas of 

meteorology, oceanography and hydrography is unique and is highly regarded by Combatant 

Commanders and naval component commanders as an outstanding tool for strategic engagement. 

In turn, its partners provide access to information vital to forward-deployed naval operations. 

Navy METOC also maintains strong interagency partnerships. The integration of modeling 

efforts among the Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. 

Air Force, NUOPC provides an unparalleled global modeling capability that can be adapted by 
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individual agencies for specific applications. Another strong example is its partnership with 

NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard in operating the U.S. National/Naval Ice Center, providing ice 

analysis and forecasts to support safety of navigation for public, commercial, and DoD use in the 

Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes, and all other large bodies of water affected by ice. 

U.S. Marine Corps 

Chemical Biological Incident Response Force 

The Marine Corps’ Chemical Biological Incident Response Force was established in 1996 in 

response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to manage the consequences of nuclear, 

biological, and chemical (NBC) materials or weapons used by terrorists. This national-level 

asset is part of the reactivated 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade–Anti-Terrorism, located at 

Indian Head, Maryland. It comprises specially trained and equipped Navy, Marine, and civilian 

personnel who can rapidly be forward deployed or otherwise respond to a credible threat of a 

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) incident in order to assist 

local, state, or Federal Agencies and designated unified incident commanders in the conduct of 

consequence management operations. Within the S-2 (Security Section), permanently assigned 

METOC forecasters provide specialized NBC dispersion forecast products and services that aid 

this organization in accomplishing a mission. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

The USGS mission provides for "the classification of the public lands and the examination of the 

geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the National Domain.” The USGS serves 

the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; 

minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and 

mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. Among its broad responsibilities 

and efforts are identification, assessment, and monitoring of potentially hazardous areas; 

development of capabilities to predict the time, place, and the severity of hazardous geologic, 

hydrometeorologic, biologic, and chemical conditions or events; and dissemination of the 

findings and their implications, including the provision of technical and scientific advice to 

public officials. The USGS also maintains Bureau-wide efforts intended to educate the public 

about natural hazards. 

The USGS has been delegated the Federal responsibility to provide notification and warnings for 

earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides. In addition, USGS data-collection networks provide realtime information needed by other agencies to issue forecasts and warnings related to a variety of 

hazards. For example, the USGS seismic network supports NOAA tsunami warnings; the USGS 

streamgage network supports NOAA flood forecasts (see Hydrometeorological and Water 

Resources Services); the USGS geomagnetic observations support solar storm forecasts (see 

Space Weather Services); USGS biologic monitoring of wildlife diseases enhances assessments 

of potential human pathogens such as the H1NI influenza virus; and USGS geospatial and 

remotely sensed information supports a broad spectrum of disaster-response activities and 

operations from an “all-hazards” perspective. 
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The USGS established a secondary reception station for NOAA GOES at the USGS Earth 

Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Three new satellite 

antennas and an existing antenna at EROS are used in support of this effort. Three of these 

antennas support communications with the GOES East and GOES West satellites, along with a 

hot spare. The remaining antenna is designated for a DOMSAT link, which is used for data 

dissemination. EROS also receives streamgage data in real time from the GOES satellites and is 

making these data available to USGS and other stakeholders. The receive station at EROS serves 

as a backup to the primary site [station] at Wallops Island, Virginia, which otherwise would 

represent a single point of failure in this vital data collection and dissemination system. 

Beyond network operations, the USGS has the expertise and infrastructure to acquire, assess, 

disseminate, or preserve information that can be derived from the study of geological, 

hydrological, meteorological, chemical, or biological conditions before, during, or after an 

imminent or declared disaster or emergency. These capabilities can be tapped through mission 

assignments, interagency agreements, or third-party contracts, as provided by law and regulation.

Department of Energy 

Field Site and National Laboratory Meteorological Services 

In support of its national security, scientific research, and environmental stewardship missions, 

DOE has established and maintained operational meteorology programs at its field sites, national 

laboratories and offices. It has also managed various atmospheric research projects in support of 

emergency response and homeland security services among other activities. With respect to these 

programs, field sites and national laboratories collect quality-assured meteorological data, 

develop site-specific climatology from these measurements, use these data for various 

applications, and provide local site weather forecasting. 

Emergency response and homeland security services require characterization of atmospheric 

processes that determine fate and transport of hazardous material releases. Meteorology 

programs directly contribute to the protection of public health and safety, and the environment, 

by accurately measuring and characterizing relevant local atmospheric processes to establish 

real-time and forecasted consequences. 

DOE sites benefit from well-managed meteorological program support to 24/7 operations (e.g., 

work-force safety under severe weather and emergencies) and national defense programs. 

Field Site and National Laboratory Operationao Meteorological Support 

Operational meteorology programs provide customized meteorological monitoring services and 

local site weather forecasts for national defense projects, and for nuclear safety and emergency 

response programs. Each operational program is primarily focused on supporting emergency 

response, and protecting the safety of workers, public and the environment. 

Operational meteorology programs are established at eight national laboratories, three 

reservations, Pantex, and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Some of these programs incorporate 24/7 

severe weather watches to reduce risk of potential adverse impacts on facilities, construction 

projects, property, and workers: 
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 Two sites have received a National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Ready certification 

and other sites are pursuing this certification; 

 Lightning protection and safety initiatives are integral elements of facility and worker 

safety systems supported by operational meteorology programs at eight locations; 

 State-of-the-art instrumentation, including vertical profilers, sound detection and ranging 

instruments, and sonic anemometry, are employed in site monitoring networks; and, 

 Data from some sites are part of the NWS database through the Meteorological 

Assimilation Data Ingest System. 

The DOE Meteorological Coordinating Council, established in 1994, provides a forum for 

continuity of meteorological activities at DOE sites. Information on this council can be located at 

www.orise.orau.gov/emi/dmcc. 

Many DOE reservations and national laboratories are located in areas with heterogeneous surface 

characteristics (e.g., land-water interface, mountain-valley morphology, forests) and experience 

complex localized weather conditions and resultant airflow trajectories. At these locations, 

diagnostic and prognostic characterization of local three-dimensional wind fields is required to 

determine trustworthy consequence assessments. Accordingly, multi-location comprehensive 

meteorological monitoring systems are essential at these facilities. Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory (ORNL) has produced a comprehensive characterization of the wind fields in the Oak 

Ridge, TN area that is being used to fine-tune its ATD modeling while other sites have 

extensively studied site-specific atmospheric flow phenomena to calibrate ATD capabilities. 

Finally, several DOE sites use NOAA’s Weather Research Forecasting mesoscale model as a 

component of its emergency response prognosticative capability. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

coordinates NRC responses to nuclear facility emergencies through the activation of the NRC 

Operations Center. The Protective Measures Team dose analysts in the NRC Operations Center 

rely on the Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis (RASCAL) model to 

assess offsite consequences in the event of a radiological accident at a NRC-licensed facility. 

The NRC also maintains an interest in the transport and dispersion of airborne hazardous and 

nonradioactive materials on the safe operation of nuclear facilities and uses SAFER Real-Time 

to assess protective action levels for making recommendations in the event of a non-radiological 

accident at an NRC licensee. 

 SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

 Air Resources Laboratory 

NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) develops and improves dispersion and air quality 

models and collects research-grade atmospheric measurements. Our programs support NOAA, 

broader US, and some international emergency response programs with an emphasis on 
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chemical, nuclear, smoke, dust, and volcanic ash events. Our key NOAA customer is the 

National Weather Service, and we interact extensively with the National Ocean Service Office of 

Response and Restoration. ARL also provides a broad selection of web based assessment tools. 

ARL’s primary emergency response model platform is the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian 

Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and has been made operational at NOAA’s National 

Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). HYSPLIT also serves as the national dispersion 

forecasting capability in several other countries. HYSPLIT is the major product employed in the 

operations of the Regional Specialized Meteorology Center (RSMC) set up as a joint undertaking 

of ARL and NCEP under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The 

WMO/RSMC is the source of dispersion products in the event that a radioactive plume crosses 

international boundaries. 

ARL provides meteorological support for the Department of Energy at the Idaho National 

Laboratory (INL) in Idaho Falls and at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) north of Las 

Vegas. ARL meteorologists staff the DOE Emergency Operations Center during drills and 

emergencies, such as accidental toxic chemical releases and wildfires. ARL operates an 

additional mesonet in East Tennessee that collects ozone and basic meteorological information. 

ARL operates an urban research meteorological network within the National Capital Region 

called DCNet that collects standard meteorological data and also measures characteristics of 

atmospheric turbulence. DCNet provides critical data and insights that improves dispersion 

predictions of airborne hazardous materials. While DCNet is a research network, its observations 

are used by numerous government security and emergency management personnel for various 

activities within the National Capital Region. 

In FY14, ARL will: 

 Continue to improve and adapt the HYSPLIT model to address threats imposed from radioactive 

material, volcanic ash, dust, and wildfire smoke, and other hazardous materials. 

 Provide reach-back support to NWS and other organizations that use our models. 

 Continue to maintain mesonets in Nevada, Idaho, eastern Tennessee, and the National Capital 

Region. 

 Continue to support the Department of Energy at the INL and NNSS.

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL)

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) has developed and continues to 

upgrade the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS). This system produces forecasts 

of waves, currents, temperature, ice, and other properties of the five Great Lakes and their 

connecting channels that are used by commercial ship captains, recreational boaters, fishermen, 

beach managers, oil spill responders, and search and rescue personnel. The GLCFS is currently 

being upgraded from a system based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), to a system based on 

the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM), which allows the model to be executed with 

variable spatial resolution, among other capabilities. The FVCOM versions of the GLCFS will 

become operational in FY2014, starting with Lake Erie. 

The NOAA Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team has also recently completed a technical 

memorandum that describes the particular roles and responsibilities for different NOAA offices 
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and personnel in the Great Lakes in the event of a natural or human-caused emergency such as a 

severe winter storm, large wildfire, or oil spill. The team will be assisting other NOAA regions 

in FY2014 to adapt this approach for use in their areas, with consideration of the particular 

emergencies that might be anticipated in other regions such as hurricanes or earthquakes. 

Department of Energy 

The Department of Energy (DOE) Meteorological Coordinating Council (DMCC) was 

established in 1994 to coordinate meteorological activities among the field offices to enhance 

cost effectiveness and productivity and to leverage synergistic opportunities. DOE has delegated 

the operation of its site/facility meteorological programs to NOAA and to non-Federal for-profit 

management and operating contractors. The DMCC membership is therefore composed of 

subject-matter experts from within the DOE complex, representing the three components with 

operational responsibilities for the following programs: 

 Department of Commerce (DOC/NOAA) under an interagency agreement 

 Management and operating (M&O) contractors 

 Private contractors 

The DMCC operates as a subcommittee of the DOE Emergency Management Issues Special 

Interest Group (EMI SIG) and has a web page that can be accessed directly or through the web 

page of the Subcommittee for Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions (SCAPA). 

DMCC also issues an annual report as part of its presentation to the EMI SIG Steering 

Committee. 

A current DMCC project is to improve the provision of quality-assured meteorological 

information and execution of transport and diffusion models that meet software quality assurance 

requirements. Products of the DMCC include evaluations of meteorological requirements 

contained in DOE orders and guidance documents, site meteorological program peer reviews 

(i.e., meteorological program assist visits), and, as needed, customized technical assistance. The 

DMCC developed tools to enable DOE/NNSA sites to perform self-assessments of their 

individual meteorological monitoring programs and the meteorological aspects of consequence 

assessment. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) plans, recommends, and implements a 

program of nuclear regulatory research for nuclear power plants and other facilities regulated by 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). RES provides technical support, technical tools, and 

information to identify and resolve safety issues for current and new designs and technologies 

through testing, data development, analysis, and national and international collaboration. For 

example, RES is currently evaluating toxic gas dispersion modeling capabilities of several 

computer codes as licensing tools for assessment of control room habitability specific to dense 

gas release simulations. RES also develops regulatory guidance and participates in the 

development of criteria and consensus standards related to the protection of the public health and 

safety and the environment. NSIR is also planning to update its RASCAL dose assessment 

model to access NWS data via the internet. 
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HYDROMETEOROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) 

has the primary responsibility among Federal agencies to provide advanced alerts of hydrologic 

conditions via flood warnings and river forecasts in the United States. The provision of these 

water prediction and warning services are significantly influenced by anthropogenic activities 

associated with water management and water use/regulation (e.g. reservoirs, diversions, 

withdrawals). In order to provide these important services, collaboration with other federal 

agencies is crucial as 24 Federal agencies have a role in water. The end-to-end forecast process 

employed by the NWS to provide hydrologic and water resources forecast and warning services 

leverages data and information from Federal partners and involves the following: 

 Meteorological and hydrological observations and anthropogenic data 

 Data collection, management and processing 

 Science and technology infusion 

 River and water quantity forecasting 

 Inundation mapping 

 Dissemination systems 

 Performance measurement, and 

 Outreach and education. 

NWS relies on routine access to water data and observations from other Federal agencies to 

produce and provide water forecasts and warnings. These Federal agencies and their respective 

roles include the: 

 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - real-time and historical streamflow observations, 

stream/river cross-sections, rating curves (relating streamflow to river stage), topographic 

data (for inundation mapping) 

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – water use/regulation data, real-time 

streamflow observations, and hydraulic models 

 Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) – water use/regulation data 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – snow observations 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Hydrometeorology and Water Resources Services are those 

specialized meteorological services and facilities that combine atmospheric science, hydrology, and 

water resources in order to meet the requirements of Federal, state, and local agencies for information 

on the effects of precipitation events on infrastructure, water supplies, and waterways. These products 

and services also meet the needs of the general public in the conduct of everyday activities and for the 

protection of lives and property. 
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 Department of Energy (DOE) – water use/regulation data 

NWS hydrology and water resources program also leverages and expands NOAA science and 

service partnerships for the atmosphere, watersheds, estuaries, and oceans as well as partnerships 

with universities, the private sector, and the international community to improve and integrate 

modeling capabilities. 

An NWS field infrastructure which includes 122 Weather Forecast Offices (WFO), 13 River 

Forecast Centers (RFC), the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center 

(NOHRSC), and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s (NCEP) Weather 

Prediction Center (WPC) and Climate Prediction Center (CPC) work as a team to provide 

hydrologic forecast and warning services from floods to droughts to minimize the loss of life and 

property and to meet the growing water resources service needs of our Nation. NWS hydrologic 

products and services support decision makers from a spectrum of service sectors including 

emergency management, agriculture, hydropower, reservoir management, and watershed 

management, river commerce, municipal and industrial water supply, and recreation. 

WFOs assess and monitor the threat of flash and river flooding 24 hours a day 7 days a week to 

provide timely and accurate life-saving flood watches and warnings. Toward this end, WFOs 

integrate a spectrum of RFC, NCEP and NOHRSC guidance, Doppler weather radar 

(NEXRAD)-based precipitation estimates, and real-time telemetered precipitation and stream 

gauge observations, to provide routine river forecast services and critical, event-based decision 

support services. In addition, WFOs work with dam operators to provide timely warnings for 

floods that result from infrastructure failure such as dam break and levee breaches. Moreover, 

WFOs routinely conduct local outreach and education to heighten public and partner awareness 

of flood risks and NWS hydrologic services. 

RFCs routinely generate short range (deterministic) through extended range (probabilistic) river 

forecasts and (deterministic) flash flood guidance. Information from the RFCs serves as the 

basis for local flood and flash flood warnings, watches, and advisories issued by the WFOs. 

These RFC products typically incorporate guidance from WPC, CPC, NOHRSC and the WFOs, 

and emphasize flooding impacts from meteorological events based on geographic area, land use, 

time of the year, and other factors. In order to provide objective simulations of future river 

flows, RFCs calibrate, operate, and verify sophisticated hydrologic models based on rainfall, soil 

characteristics, quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPFs), reservoir regulations, and several 

other variables. Some RFCs, especially those in mountainous regions, also provide water-supply 

volume and peak-flow forecasts based on snow pack in high elevations. These water supply 

forecasts are used by a wide range of decision makers, including those in agriculture, 

hydroelectric dam operation and electricity generation, and water resources management. RFCs 

routinely coordinate with their associated WFOs, Federal water partners, stakeholders, and the 

WPC. 

NOHRSC provides comprehensive snow observations, analyses, data sets and map products for 

the Nation. NOHRSC products and services are used by RFCs and WFOs to develop a variety of 

hydrologic products such as spring flood outlooks, water supply outlooks, river and flood 

forecasts, and reservoir inflow forecasts. Additionally, the NOHRSC provides and supports 

geographic information system (GIS) data sets and applications used by the RFCs in generating 
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automated hydrologic forecast basin boundaries. NOHRSC products and services also support a 

wide variety of government and private-sector applications in water resource management, 

disaster emergency preparedness, weather and flood forecasting, agriculture, transportation and 

commerce. 

Personnel at the NCEP’s WPC, located in College Park, Maryland, routinely prepare a spectrum 

of forecast products used by the WFOs to develop local rainfall, snow, and ice forecasts and by 

the RFCs to develop local river and flood forecasts. WPC coordinates with RFCs, WFOs and 

other Federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during 

major flood events. The WPC also provides an array of surface analyses and short-range forecast 

products used by NWS field offices and the weather enterprise. 

NCEP’s CPC monitors and forecasts short-term climate fluctuations and generates guidance to 

communicate the effects climate patterns can have on the Nation. CPC develops and produces a 

suite of centralized numerical climate predictions, monitoring and outlook products, assessments, 

and discussions. These forecast products include 6-10 day, 8-14 day, one-month, and three 

month outlooks which depict the probability the temperature and precipitation will be above or 

below normal. CPC also routinely produces a U.S. Hazards Outlook, a U.S. Seasonal Drought 

Outlook, and partners with the USDA and the National Drought Mitigation Center to produce the 

U.S. Drought Monitor. These products are used by WFOs and RFCs to enhance decision support 

services and serve as an input to RFC-generated, ensemble-based, extended range (probabilistic) 

river forecasts. 

The capabilities of NWS Hydrologic Services were recently expanded through the 

implementation of the Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS) at the 13 NWS RFCs. 

CHPS is a new operational framework, allowing for broad systems interoperability to support 

new water resources-related forecasts. It reinforces NOAA’s national water information strategy, 

allowing NOAA’s research and development enterprise and operational service delivery 

infrastructure to be integrated and leveraged with other Federal water agency activities and the 

private sector. Through CHPS, and under the auspices of the Integrated Water Resources Science 

and Services (IWRSS) Consortium, NOAA plans to deliver a new suite of high-resolution 

forecasts (including estimates of uncertainty) for streamflow, soil moisture, soil temperature, and 

many other variables directly related to watershed conditions via collaboration and sharing of 

data and models with other Federal, university, and private-sector experts. Furthermore, these 

activities will enable NOAA to deliver a national database of hydrologic analyses and 

predictions and generate user-friendly geographic information system (GIS) products for 

monitoring floods and drought. This activity contributes to the National Integrated Drought 

Information System (NIDIS). 

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS). The overarching goals of AHPS are to 

provide: a) better forecast accuracy by incorporating advanced hydrologic science into NWS 

models; b) more specific and timely information on fast-rising floods by using tools which make 

it easier to rapidly identify small basins affected by heavy rainfall and excessive runoff, and 

predict the extent and timing of the resulting inundation; c) new types of forecast information by 

incorporating enhanced techniques for quantifying forecast certainty and conveying this 

information in products which specify the probability of reaching various water levels; d) longer 

forecast horizons; e) easier-to-use products; and f) increased, more timely, and consistent access 
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to hydrologic information. AHPS includes a suite of web-based products and information 

designed to support more informed decisions through timely and accurate hydrologic forecasts 

and warnings. 

The NWS continues to implement AHPS which builds on the existing NWS infrastructure, 

including the Advanced Weather Information Processing System (AWIPS), NEXRAD, and 

CHPS. AHPS also provides Ensemble Streamflow Prediction - a capability that allows the NWS 

to generate extended range (probabilistic) river forecasts which quantify the forecast certainty. 

This information enables decision makers to apply risk-based analyses as they prepare for, and 

respond to, flooding and better balance competing demands on water supply, especially during 

periods of drought. Another AHPS capability, known as Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction 

(FFMP), combines high-resolution radar rainfall observations with GIS technology to provide 

more accurate and precise flash flood detection. Flash floods, typically caused by intense, smallscale convective systems, are the leading cause of flood fatalities. The added precision provided 

by FFMP greatly reduces the area warned in flash flood warnings, making them more credible 

and leading to more effective and efficient public response, which ultimately saves lives. AHPS 

also provides opportunities to improve NOAA’s analysis and forecast capabilities related to 

coastal water conditions, through joint efforts with NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) and 

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). 

Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS). Our Nation faces a spectrum of 

growing water resources challenges which necessitate the provision of new and enhanced 

services. These challenges include: a) population growth and economic development are 

stressing water supplies and increasing vulnerability; b) a changing climate is impacting water 

availability and quality and increasing uncertainty; and, c) an aging water infrastructure is 

forcing critical, expensive decisions. 

In this era of growing challenges and reduced budgets, the collective capabilities of Federal 

water agencies need to be leveraged to inform and guide increasingly important water decisions. 

The provision of life-saving NWS forecasts and warnings and other important water resources 

information is dependent upon routine collaboration between Federal water agencies including 

NOAA’s NWS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS). To strengthen this relationship and enhance the quality of Federal water resources 

services, in May of 2011, NOAA’s NWS, the USACE, and the USGS entered into a 

memorandum of understanding to design, develop, and implement the Integrated Water 

Resources Science and Services (IWRSS) program. Consisting of a consortium of federal 

agencies with complementary missions in water science, observation, management and 

prediction, IWRSS is a new business model for interagency collaboration in the information age. 

The IWRSS Consortium envisions an integrated national water modeling framework and 

information services framework. Together these frameworks will establish a common operating 

picture for water, improve water modeling and synthesis, and support the production of a 

comprehensive, seamless and consistent suite of high-resolution tree-top-to-bedrock, summit-tosea water resources products and information services. Toward this end, IWRSS applies a crosscutting, multi-disciplinary systems approach to address complex water problems collaboratively. 

The overarching objective of IWRSS is to enable and demonstrate a broad, integrative national 

water resources information system to serve as a reliable and authoritative means for adaptive 
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water-related planning, preparedness and response activities. IWRSS builds on progress made 

under AHPS, CHPS and other NOAA water forecasting services. 

NWS Partnerships for Hydrometeorological Products and Services. Partnerships with a variety 

of Federal, state, and local agencies are critical to the NWS Hydrologic Services Program. For 

example, the NWS works very closely on water-related issues with many federal water agencies 

including: the USGS, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Land Management in the 

Department of the Interior; with the USACE in the Department of Defense; the Department of 

Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and FEMA in the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS). Among these partnering activities are stream gaging, flood 

inundation mapping, river and water supply forecasting, and water management. For example, 

river stage and flow observations and stage discharge relationships provided by the USGS and 

reservoir operation information provided by the USACE, are critical to NWS warning and 

forecast operations for the Nation’s rivers. 

NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

Within the NOAA/Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) aircraft fleet, a NOAA 

AC-695A Commander 1000 (N45RF) is used annually to conduct important snow-pack surveys 

in the northern and western continental U.S., Alaska, and southern Canada. During these survey 

flights, the gamma radiation sensors aboard these aircraft measure the naturally occurring 

terrestrial radiation emitted from the ground to obtain snow water–equivalent estimates. The data 

are transmitted to the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) up to 

three times a day, and, after further processing, the data are distributed to NWS field offices 

within five minutes of receipt from the aircraft. These data are used by the NWS to forecast river 

levels and potential flood events, resulting from snowmelt water runoff. Hydroelectric power 

interests and other water supply managers also use the data to regulate water storage and 

delivery. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

NRCS Hydrometeorological Observations 

Because snowmelt provides the majority of the annual water supply in the Western United 

States, having information on snowpack is critical for water management. The Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) measures snowpack and collects hydrometeorological data in the 

13 Western states, including Alaska. Through the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting 

(SSWSF) Program, the NRCS conducts snow surveys at high elevations in the mountainous 

West. The data collection system includes more than 1,100 active manual snow courses and 

more than 860 automated Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) monitoring stations. The NRCS collects 

data at the manual snow courses in cooperation and often with assistance from a number of 

different Federal, State, local, and private partners. These data, along with data from streamgages, major reservoirs, and climatological observation stations managed by other agencies, are 

merged into a hydroclimatic database that is used to produce real-time watershed analyses and 

water supply forecasts. This information is used at the farm level to manage irrigation, at the 

municipal level to plan anticipated water supply, and at the international level as the basis for 

water management decisions under treaties with Canada and Mexico. 
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The automated SNOTEL network mainly utilizes meteor burst technologies for transmitting data 

from remote sites to Master Stations located in Idaho and Utah. In Alaska, the network utilizes a 

satellite phone system to transmit data. The SNOTEL network provides near-real-time remote 

hydrometeorological data that significantly improve flood stage forecasts and the monitoring of 

other life-threatening snow-related events. The primary use of the snow survey data is the 

production of water supply forecasts for more than 700 Western basins. The data are also used 

by irrigators, recreation users, researchers, Federal and State agencies, and a multitude of others. 

All SNOTEL data are sent hourly to the National Weather Service (NWS) to assist in forecasting 

flood events. SNOTEL information enables emergency management agencies to effectively 

mitigate drought and flood damages and to monitor and assess wildfire potential. 

Water supply forecasts are produced bi-monthly each year from January through June, as well as 

mid-month forecasts and daily guidance for some basins beginning in December. The NRCS 

furnishes snow measurements that are combined with advanced snow modeling and analysis 

provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA’s National 

Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center to support joint NWS-NRCS efforts. The 

purpose of water supply forecasts are to: (1) help irrigators make the most effective use of 

limited water supplies for agricultural production needs; (2) assist the Federal government in 

administering international water treaties with Canada and Mexico; (3) assist state governments 

in managing intrastate streams and interstate water compacts; (4) assist municipalities in 

planning the early management of anticipated water supplies and drought mitigation; (5) operate 

reservoirs to satisfy multiple use demands, including hydropower generation; (6) mitigate flood 

damages in levied areas and downstream from reservoirs; and (7) support fish and wildlife 

management activities associated with species protection legislation. 

The NRCS typically develops nearly 13,000 seasonal water supply forecasts for 705 streamflow 

forecast locations in 13 Western states. In addition, the Program provides daily water supply 

guidance forecasts for 138 Western basins. These products provide information for water 

managers to adapt to weather changes as they occur. The web link for this information is 

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/wsf/daily_forecasts.html. 

Historical snow survey data are valuable to climate change researchers to aid in developing 

reliable projections of climate change. It has been projected that changes to the hydrologic cycle 

in the Western States, resulting from changes in snowpack conditions and timing of snowmelt, 

will increase the water supply challenges the states face. Monitoring data provides assistance to 

water managers at all levels to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Snowpack measurements 

extend back decades, and in some cases over 100 years, highlighting the value of this highaltitude network for understanding and assessing changes in climate. 

The SSWSF Program provides a variety of climate and water supply products that are used to 

assess drought in the West. These include SNOTEL snowpack and precipitation analyses in the 

mountains, water supply forecasts, and State Surface Water Supply Indexes (SWSI). These 

products are critical to the weekly production of the interagency Drought Monitor, a web-based 

report. Separate from the SSWSF Program and SNOTEL network, the NRCS also manages a 

cooperative nationwide network of 191 Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) sites in 40 states 

and U.S. territories. These SCAN sites monitor soil temperature and soil moisture, which support 

national drought monitoring, agriculture production, and climate change research. 
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U.S Army Corps of Engineers 

In its civil operational activities, the Corps of Engineers (COE) uses a network of about 10,850 

land-based gages. About 55 percent of these sites collect meteorological data, 35 percent collect 

a combination of hydrologic and meteorological data, and 10 percent collect hydrologic or water 

quality data. The meteorological gages commonly measure precipitation and temperature. All 

data are used in the regulation of COE dams and other water projects, for flood control, 

navigation, hydroelectric power, irrigation, water supply, water quality, and recreation. The 

COE funds or partially funds nearly half of all the gages it uses. 

 

The COE funds NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) to collect and maintain precipitation 

information from 876 meteorological sites. The COE funds the NWS for hydrometeorological 

studies and funds the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for maintaining hydrometeorological data 

collection services for 2,479 sites. The rest of the sites are maintained by the COE. Services 

performed by USGS vary by site and by year, and can include site visits, maintenance of 

equipment, replacement of damaged equipment, field measurements for verification of data, and 

continuous monitoring of data results. About 90 percent of all COE sites provide real-time data 

via satellite, microwaves, meterbursts, landlines, or radio. Data from COE gage sites are 

available to NWS and to other federal, state, and local agencies. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Hydrometeorological Data Collection and Distribution 

The USGS’s Water Mission Area (WMA) collects streamflow, precipitation, water quality, 

ground-water level, and other water resources and climatological data as part of a national 

network and for a number of projects 

concerning rainfall-runoff, water quality, and 

hydrologic processes. Currently, the USGS 

collects continuous hydrologic and 

meteorological data at about 9,000 surface 

water sites, 2,700 ground water-level sites, 

and 1,500 water quality sites. Periodic records 

are collected at approximately 1,500 

additional surface water sites, 20,000 ground 

water sites, and 10,300 water quality sites. 

Precipitation records are collected at about 

800 sites. 

Data collected at most continuous-record 

USGS sites are transmitted from remote Data 

Collection Platforms to Wallops Island, 

Virginia, via a Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite (GOES). From the 

Wallops Island facility, data are rebroadcast to 

a domestic communication satellite (DOMSAT). Data are received from the DOMSAT by local 

readout ground stations (LRGS) procured by USGS. The USGS currently operates 21 LRGS 

The USGS has developed new rapidly deployable, mobile streamgages to provide short-term 

water-level data to critical areas lacking permanent streamgages. Image provided by USGS 

Office of Surface Water. 
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which provide near-real-time data to the USGS’s computerized National Water Information 

System (NWIS). 

Near-real-time streamflow data and ancillary information are provided to NWS RFCs for river 

forecast points. Additional historical and real-time water resources data are available from the 

USGS database at NWIS web site (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/). During floods, these data 

are supplemented by additional flood flow measurements. For example, during the 2011 floods 

of the Missouri and Mississippi River Basins the USGS made over 1,200 streamflow 

measurements at more than 150 streamgages and installed Rapid Deployment Gages at 15 

locations, all in support of flood forecasting and/or emergency operations. During Hurricane 

Irene, the USGS deployed 260 temporary, mobile streamgages (storm-tide sensors) to observe 

water levels, resulting from storm-tide in coastal waters along the Atlantic Coast from South 

Carolina to Maine. The data are available at 

http://wim.usgs.gov/stormtidemapper/stormtidemapper.html# 

The USGS also collects precipitation samples at a number of sites to determine the atmospheric 

contribution of chemical constituent loads to runoff, and for defining the effect of atmospheric 

deposition on water quality and the aquatic environment. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant resulting from the March 

11, 2011, Great Tōhoku Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) issued letters to all its operating nuclear power plant licensees requesting 

that they reevaluate the flooding hazards at their sites using updated information and present-day 

regulatory guidance and methodologies. This includes considering the effects from large 

precipitation events, snow pack, ice effects, and other meteorological events that drive flood 

events, such as storm surge. Licensees were directed to provide their responses on a set response 

date between March 2013 and March 2015 based on a set of criteria used to prioritize the nuclear 

power plant sites. The NRC staff, along with support from its consultants, has begun reviewing 

the flood hazard reevaluations that have been submitted to date to determine whether additional 

regulatory actions are necessary to protect against the updated hazards. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

NOAA/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

Hydrometeorological Testbed (HMT). The HMT is a national program aimed at accelerating the 

infusion of new technologies, models, and scientific results from the research community into 

daily forecasting operations of the NWS and its Regional Forecast Centers. Research at the 

HMT, which operates as an end-to-end demonstration project with forecasters and researchers 

joining forces in the operational setting, has focused on improving regional precipitation 

forecasts, particularly for heavy, flooding rains. This is achieved by partnering with regional 

academic and State authorities respectively. 

In FY 14 ESRL/PSD will lead the implementation of the Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT) – 

Southeast Pilot Study (SEPS), aimed at improving NOAA’s ability to monitor and predict 

extreme precipitation in the southeast U.S. 
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Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) 

To address the need for basin-wide estimates of the Great Lakes water balance, NOAA’s Great 

Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), in the early 1980s, began developing some 

of the first tools for simulating and forecasting component net basin supplies, i.e., overlake precipitation, basin runoff, and lake evaporation. The approach used by GLERL has been 

developed over many years, and represents the first comprehensive attempt to quantify Net Basin 

Supply (NBS) components systematically in all of the Great Lakes. The GLERL component of 

the NBS for the 1948-2008 period was crucial information used by the International Upper Great 

Lakes Study in analyzing the water balance and the impacts on Great Lakes levels and flows. 

GLERL has developed projects to improve forecasting of elements of the hydrologic cycle in the 

Great Lakes under different climate conditions, including better constraining over-land and overwater precipitation and evaporation through field measurements and modeling. These efforts 

have the practical goal of producing better forecasts of water levels in the Great Lakes, which are 

critical for commercial navigation, power production, recreational boating, and construction of 

coastal infrastructure. Experimental water level forecasts and historical data have recently been 

made available to the public through the interactive Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard 

website. Expansion of this website in FY2014 will transition it to the Great Lakes Hydroclimate 

Dashboard, with the inclusion of additional datasets and display functions. 

National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) 

Storm-scale Hydrometeorology Research. Routine water level simulations that capture the 

complex interaction between rainfall, river flows, waves, tides and storm surge have not been 

possible until now. NSSL has developed a prototype real-time system that combines 

observations, weather and water models, and decision support tools to better forecast and prepare 

for inland and coastal floods. The NSSL Coastal and Inland Flooding Observation and Warning 

(CI-FLOW) project uses the NSSL multi-sensor rainfall estimates to drive an NWS-distributed 

hydrologic model that predicts streamflow to help the NWS improve flash flood warnings. CIFLOW is coordinating with NOAA’s Integrated Water Resources Science and Services – an 

innovative partnership of federal agencies with complementary operational missions in water 

science, observation, prediction and management. In addition to streamflow prediction, 

streamflow data from predictive models are used to drive a storm surge model from the 

University of North Carolina. We believe this system of coupled models, tested during the 2010 

hurricane season and in Hurricane Irene in 2011, can be used not only for inundation studies of 

landfalling tropical systems, but also for land-use studies, algal bloom studies, and water quality 

assessment studies. 

NSSL is working with the NWS to bring enhanced weather information and capabilities to 

operations. After more than a decade of development, testing and experimental evaluation, 

NSSL, in collaboration with the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), is 

bringing the Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system to NWS operations. MRMS 

consolidates and “cleans up” data from a wide variety of sources including radars, satellites, and 

surface observations to provide forecasters with the best-possible real-time analysis of the 

atmosphere at any location. This system has shown considerable improvement in radar-based 

rainfall estimates and provides forecasters with an ability to “mine” the data set to extract new 
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types of aviation, severe and hydrologic weather information. By placing high-quality, 

remotely-sensed data in a three-dimensional framework accessible to NWS forecasters, MRMS 

will be opening the door to exciting new possibilities in improving flash flood and severe 

weather warnings, as well as forecasts. 

NSSL continues to develop, with substantial support from the FAA and Taiwan’s Central 

Weather Bureau, a seamless CONUS radar mosaic system to quantitatively estimate precipitation 

(QPE) every 5 minutes (called next generation QPE or Q2). Q2 incorporates information from 

operational and research weather surveillance radars (e.g., NOAA/NWS WSR-88Ds, FAA 

Terminal Doppler Weather Radars, deployable “gap-filling radars, Canadian operational network 

radars, etc), GOES satellite data, lightning flash detections, rain gauge accumulations, surface 

and upper air observations, and more recently, numerical model output to produce an ensemble 

of many gridded precipitation estimates. These precipitation products, with their different levels 

of complexity, each have strengths and weaknesses that vary with season, geography, and 

precipitation type. The Q2 algorithm is unique in the way that it performs quality control on the 

reflectivity fields, identifies the bright band using radar data, segregates convective and 

stratiform precipitation and applies differential Z-R relationships, delineates the rain-snow line, 

and adaptively calibrates infrared satellite data using radar precipitation rates. Research from the 

limited area deployment of Q2 demonstrated that calibrated satellite-based precipitation 

outperforms radar-only algorithms in complex terrain during the cool season. The Q2 multisensor and radar products are both adjusted by rain gauges using a mean field bias technique as 

well as a local bias adjustment. 

The Flooded Locations And Simulated Hydrographs (FLASH) project also takes advantage of 

NSSL’s high resolution, multisensor precipitation estimates. The rainfall estimates are used to 

force the Coupled Routing and Excess Storage (CREST) distributed hydrologic model running at 

the same 1-km/5-min resolution as the rainfall forcing. The FLASH system produces forecasts of 

flash flooding out to 6 hours in the future at every grid point in the conterminous US. FLASH is 

presently running in real-time as a demonstration. Weather Prediction Center forecasters will 

evaluate FLASH model outputs during the Flash Flooding and Intense Rainfall (FFaIR) testbed 

experiment this summer. The system offers to the potential for a consistent, nation-wide solution 

for flash flood forecasting by the National Weather Service. 

Department of Agriculture 

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Within the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program, there are a number of agency 

initiatives that support research and development in regards to system operations. These 

initiatives include model development, quality assurance tools, radio and telemetry development, 

SCAN support, and radio spectrum management. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conducts meteorological research to support 

licensing activities. Current research activities include updating the methods used to estimate the 

effects of extreme precipitation events, evaluating the use of paleoflood information to extend 
 Hydrometeorology and Water Resources Services 

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the historical record, and applying probabilistic techniques to riverine systems. The extreme 

precipitation work has been extended to consider the influence of orographic features. In 

addition, work has been initiated to start looking at flooding from a probabilistic perspective. 

Preliminary planning is underway to develop an integrated probabilistic approach for flood 

hazard assessment for nuclear power plants that will include advanced approaches for modeling 

meteorological and hydrological phenomena and systems. This work is prioritized for those 

areas of the United States where new nuclear power plants are proposed and will provide the 

design basis for flood protection systems. The work will be done in cooperation with the 

Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 

focus of NRC research in these areas is to accurately assess the potential hazard to safe operation 

of nuclear facilities from extremely rare hydrometeorological events. 
 Hydrometeorology and Water Resources Services 

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MILITARY SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

For each of the military services with meteorological operational programs (U.S. Air Force, 

Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard), the discussion below first describes that service’s 

operational organizations, followed by a description of the principal meteorological products and 

services provided by these organizations. 

U.S. Air Force 

Operational Organizations 

Air Force Weather (AFW). AFW enables Joint Warfighters to anticipate and exploit the 

weather for air, ground, space, cyberspace, and intelligence operations. AFW forces provide 

mission-tailored terrestrial and space environment observations, forecasts, and services to the Air 

Force, U.S. Army (USA), and a variety of U.S. Government departments and agencies. 

AFW is functionally organized under the Director of Weather (AF/A3O-W), Directorate of 

Operations (AF/A3O), Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Plans, and Requirements (AF/A3/A5), 

Headquarters Air Force. The Director of Weather oversees Air Force-wide training, organizing, 

and equipping of AFW organizations, to include the following functions: 

 Development of doctrine, policies, requirements, and standards for weather support for 

worldwide Air Force, Army, and Special Forces training and combat operations 

 Evaluation of weather support effectiveness for worldwide training and combat 

operations 

 Management of weather officer, enlisted, and civilian career fields 

 Development and implementation of mid- to long-range plans for the organization, 

equipment, manpower, and technology necessary to meet future Air Force, Army, Special 

Forces, and other DoD Agency weather requirements 

 Advising Air Staff and subordinate headquarters weather functional managers, regarding 

manpower, career field management, personnel utilization, training, operations policy 

and procedures, and technology acquisition 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Military Services are those meteorological operations, services, and 

capabilities established to meet the unique requirements of military user commands and their 

component elements. Programs and services that are not uniquely military in nature are reported under 

another service category (e.g., Basic Services, Aviation Services [civilian], Surface Transportation 

Services, or Emergency Response and Homeland Security Services). 
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 Advocating and fielding standardized weather equipment to support worldwide training 

and combat operations 

AFW operations provide a Total Force capability, employing more than 4,100 Active Duty (AD) 

and Reserve Component military and civilian personnel supporting Air Force and Army 

conventional and special operations forces (SOF) worldwide. The majority of AFW personnel 

are focused on two distinct, yet related functions: characterizing the past, current, and future state 

of the natural environment, and exploiting environmental information to provide actionable 

environmental impacts information directly to decision makers. 

Air Force personnel in the weather career field act as “eyes forward” to collect, analyze, tailor, 

integrate and disseminate weather environmental information, including forecasts of future 

conditions, in support of military operations. Weather personnel must understand warfighter 

tactics, techniques, and procedures, and help decision makers mitigate weather impacts and take 

advantage of weather conditions. AFW personnel support Air Force, Army, Joint, and DoD 

conventional and special operations at various garrison and deployed locations worldwide. 

AFW personnel aligned with Army units directly support the G-2 intelligence centers and Amy 

Fire Support operations. Weather is a vital part of the intelligence estimate and is an essential 

element that supports the military rapid-response planning process. Weather personnel assigned 

to these commands provide expertise, products, and services that directly support the intelligence 

preparation of the battlespace (IPB) process by helping intelligence analysts to effectively 

evaluate, integrate, and 

synchronize weather effects for 

both enemy and friendly courses 

of action. 

The AFW support infrastructure is 

designed to readily deploy and 

operate in austere expeditionary 

environments. It is capable of 

providing sustained, 

comprehensive, and relevant 

weather support to all elements of 

an Air Expeditionary Force, as 

well as forward deployed air bases 

and stations of the establishment 

supporting that force. AFW is 

organized in a 3-tier structure to 

maximize capabilities that can be 

accomplished in the rear area via 

“reach-back” technology. This minimizes forward presence on the battlefield, making a “light 

and lean” presence consistent with the overall U.S. Air Force (USAF) vision for contingency 

operations in the 21st century. 

                   Air Force Weather mission statement 
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Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA). AFWA is a Field Operating Agency, reporting to the 

USAF Director of Weather. It is the weather production center of the USAF in the first tier of 

the AFW organizational structure. The AFWA weather center delivers worldwide weather 

products to Air Force and Army Warfighters, unified commands, National Programs, and the 

National Command Authorities. AFWA supplies weather products, training tools, and fields 

equipment to USAF Operational Weather Squadrons (OWS) and Weather Flights and provides 

24-hour technical assistance on all standard weather systems and equipment. AFWA builds and 

maintains the world’s most comprehensive weather database of observation, forecast, 

climatological, and space weather products available on the World Wide Web. Per AFW’s 3-tier 

structure to support forward operations via reach-back technology, AFWA’s 2nd Weather 

Squadron (2 WS) at Offutt AFB provides global coverage of forecaster-in-the-loop products to 

exploit environmental information necessary to effectively plan and conduct military operations 

at all levels of war, including providing dedicated support to the intelligence community, as well 

as backup for two national weather centers. 

 The 1st Weather Group aligns stateside weather operations with the USAF warfighting 

initiative overseeing the OWSs. The 1 WXG has three subordinate OWSs whose areas of 

responsibility are within the continental United States: the 15th, 25th, and 26th OWSs. 

They form the backbone of regionally focused, “reachback” weather operations for the 

continental United States, providing a variety of weather forecast products and support to 

units assigned to and/or deployed in their respective areas of responsibility. 

 The 2nd Weather Group delivers timely, relevant, and specialized terrestrial, space, and 

climatological global environmental intelligence to joint warfighters, U.S. DoD decision 

makers, national agencies, and allied nations for the planning and execution of missions 

across the complete spectrum of military operations through the operation, sustainment, 

and maintenance of AFW's $288 million strategic center computer complex, production 

network, and applications. 

Operational Weather Squadrons. Around the world, the OWSs are the second tier of the AFW 

organizational structure and provide continuous, complete environmental situational awareness. 

They are responsible for producing and disseminating mission-planning and mission-execution 

weather analyses, forecasts, and briefings for Air Force, Army, National Guard, and Reserve 

forces operating anywhere around the world.

 The 15th OWS’s area of responsibility includes 153 installations/sites in a 22-state region 

of the northeastern United States. 

 The 17th OWS’s area of responsibility covers more than 95 million square miles of the 

Pacific region including Australia, Korea, and Japan. 

 The 21st OWS’s area of responsibility includes Europe, Greenland, and most of Africa. 

 The 25th OWS’s area of responsibility includes 85 installations/sites in an 11-state region 

of the western United States. 

 The 26th OWS’s area of responsibility includes 133 installations/sites in a seven-state 

region of the south central United States. 
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 The 28th OWS’s area of responsibility includes sites throughout the U.S. Central 

Command, including southwest Asia and the Horn of Africa. 

Weather Flights. Deployed in the field and focused on operational weather, USAF Weather 

Flights constitute the third tier of AFW and act as the prime interface with a USAF installation's 

flying and ground operations. Weather Flights are located at military installations around the 

world and are the “eyes forward” for the responsible OWS. 

Special Operations Weather. USAF special operations units provide limited forward weather 

observations in denied areas and transmit them to a Joint Special Operations task force or nextechelon weather element on an as-required basis. Their tailored weather information and 

knowledge enable planning, command decisions, and execution of SOF operations. USAF 

combat weather technicians assigned to SOF units are expected to know and keep current on the 

entire environment in the isolated locations to which their unit deploys.

USAF-Army Weather Organizations. Weather airmen aligned with Army units directly support 

the Army G-2 intelligence centers and Amy fire-support operations. Air Force weather 

organizations predict the impact weather will have on Army and joint operations, giving 

leadership at all levels the ability to adjust operational and tactical strategies helping to further 

mission success. Combat weather technicians and meteorologists assigned to support Army units 

are expected to forecast the weather anywhere their Army unit deploys. Army-trained weather 

personnel can parachute behind enemy lines and travel with a small platoon of soldiers, 

providing on-the-scene weather information for a variety of missions.

Air Force Operational Climatology. The 14th Weather Squadron (14 WS) is stationed in 

Asheville, North Carolina, where it is co-located with the National Climatic Data Center, one of 

the environmental data centers under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

(NOAA’s) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The 14 

WS mission is to support DoD climatological requirements for engineering, planning, and 

operations to maximize combat effectiveness. For more information on the 14th Weather 

Squadron and the National Climatic Data Center, see the Climate Services section of this Federal 

Plan. 

Space Weather Operations. AFW space weather forecasters provide space weather analyses, 

forecasts, and alert notification for all DoD agencies and U.S. Government systems. With 

observatories in Australia, Italy, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Hawaii, USAF space weather 

technicians maintain a continuous observational watch on the sun, which can emit 

electromagnetic energy and electrically charged particles capable of causing disturbances in the 

near-Earth environment and disrupting satellite operations and satellite-based communications. 

The mission of the AFW solar observatories is to monitor solar flares, noise storms, and other 

releases of energy from the sun and, when necessary, notify military and civilian organizations 

concerned with space weather, power, and communications in countries throughout the world. 

For further discussion of the complementary roles of AFW space weather operations and the 

National Weather Service’s (NWS) Space Weather Prediction Center, see the section on Space 

Weather Services. 
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AFW Reserve Component. The Reserve Component of AFW includes airmen in both the Air 

Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). AFW continues to 

integrate these forces to more closely align with active duty weather force operations. AFRC 

weather personnel augment the active duty force at all three tiers. In some cases, the AFRC 

provides very unique weather-related services not duplicated in the active duty force, such as 

AFRC’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53 WRS) (see “AFRC Hurricane Hunters,” 

below) and the ANG’s Weather Readiness Training Center. 

To augment AD OWS operations, AFRC organized two operational weather flights, each staffed 

by AFRC weather personnel, capable of augmenting an OWS either in the CONUS or overseas. 

Additional AFR weather personnel serve as individual mobilization augmentees assigned to 

various active AF weather organizations at all echelons, typically in staff, forecasting, or 

scientific roles. There are weather traditional reservists working with an AFRC Remotely Piloted 

Aircraft (RPA) unit. There are also AFR weather personnel in Air Reserve Technician positions, 

i.e., combined full-time Civil Service/AFR military positions, employed by HQ AFRC as a staff 

weather officer and by the 53rd WRS as aerial reconnaissance weather officers. Lastly, AFRC 

civil service and contract weather personnel provide weather services at AFRC-operated bases in 

the CONUS. 

The ANG traditional program consists of 27 numbered weather flights, ranging in size from 13 

to 25 personnel, who meet monthly to train for their wartime mission. These flights provide 

weather support to ANG and Army National Guard units. Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained 

ANG wings also have up to four traditional weather positions to provide weather operations for 

each wing’s flying mission. In addition, there are traditional weather positions in two ANG 

Special Tactics Squadrons (AF Special Operations Command), and four ANG RPA units (e.g., 

Predator). The ANG also has seven contract and four civil service locations where it is 

responsible for providing peacetime weather support to airfield operations. 

USAF Products and Services 

Satellite Services. AFW operates a satellite data processing center, ingesting and storing 

worldwide meteorological satellite (METSAT) data. The Defense Meteorological Satellite 

Program (DMSP), which provides cloud, upper air, and space environmental data, is a vital 

source of global weather data used to support combat operations and has been collecting weather 

data for U.S. military operations for more than 5 decades. Onboard sensors provide AFW and the 

Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) with visible, 

infrared, and microwave imagery, plus temperature and moisture sounding data. The DMSP also 

supplies direct, real-time readouts of regional imagery and mission-sensor data to DoD landbased and shipboard terminals located worldwide. 

There are two primary operational DMSP satellites in polar orbit at about 450 nautical miles 

(nominal) at all times. The primary weather sensor on DMSP is the Operational Linescan 

System, which provides continuous visual and infrared imagery of cloud cover over an area 

1,600 nautical miles wide. Worldwide coverage of weather features is accomplished every 12 

hours providing essential data over data-sparse or data-denied areas. Additional satellite sensors 

measure atmospheric vertical profiles of moisture and temperature. Military weather forecasters 
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can detect developing patterns of weather and track existing weather systems over remote areas, 

including the presence of severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and typhoons. 

In addition to DMSP polar-orbiting data, AFW receives stored data from NOAA’s Polar-orbiting 

Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) constellation and real-time high-resolution data 

from NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) East and West; 

European METSAT (EUMETSAT) -7, -8, and -9 geostationary satellites, and Meteorological 

Operational Polar (METOP) orbiters; as well as the Japanese Multifunctional Transport Satellite 

(MTSAT). (AFWA currently receives data from the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration’s (NASA’s) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), 

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning 

Radiometer-E (AMSR-E); NOAA’s Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC); and 

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). 

Space Launch Support. USAF meteorological support for space launches is discussed in the 

Other Specialized Services section. 

Air and Space Natural Environment Modeling and Simulation. The Air Force Director of 

Weather carries out the DoD Air and Space Natural Environment Modeling and Simulation 

Executive Agent (ASNE MSEA) responsibilities of managing, coordinating, and implementing 

all aspects of modeling and simulation, relating to the Air and Space Natural Environment 

domain to include, but not limited to, planning, programming, monitoring, and reporting across 

all DoD Components in accordance with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, 

Technology, and Logistics memorandum to the Secretary of the Air Force designating the 

Department of the Air Force as the MSEA for air and space natural environment representations. 

The DoD ASNE MSEA ensures DoD communities that use simulations for their training, 

acquisition, testing, planning, experimentation, and analysis have the right tools, infrastructure, 

and databases necessary to represent the air and space 

natural environment and its effects. 

AFRC Hurricane Hunters. The AFRC’s 53 WRS, also 

known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” provides another 

means of collecting vital meteorological data, especially 

in and around tropical cyclones. Their specially 

equipped WC-130J aircraft collect temperature, 

moisture, wind, pressure, and visually observed 

information at the aircraft location as well as vertical 

profiles of the atmosphere collected by dropsondes. 

Hurricane Hunter aircraft penetrate the eyes of tropical 

cyclones to provide the National Hurricane Center very 

accurate center fix locations as well as other 

meteorological parameters, including sea level pressure. 

In addition to tropical cyclone reconnaissance, the 53 

WRS collects meteorological information to improve 

wintertime West Coast forecasts and to support 

scientific field programs when possible. 

The sun tries to break through the 

thick clouds surrounding the WC130J aircraft as it penetrates Tropical 

Storm Lee Sept. 2. The 53rd Weather 

Reconnaissance Squadron 

“Hurricane Hunters,” were gathering 

atmospheric data to relay to the 

National Hurricane Center for their 

forecast models. (U.S. Air Force 

photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)
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Air Force Aviation Weather Support. AFWA’s 1st Weather Group (1 WXG) has three 

subordinate CONUS OWSs that form the backbone of CONUS regionally focused, “reachback” 

weather operations, providing a variety of weather forecast products and support to units 

assigned to and/or deployed into their respective areas of responsibility (AORs). These three 

OWSs along with the USAFE and PACAF OWSs, the 21st OWS and the 17th OWS, 

respectively, provide operational weather support and resource protection for personnel and 

military installations in their respective AORs. The 28th OWS provides focused “reachback” 

weather operations in support of Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) operations in 

Southwest Asia. Operational support to the USAF, Army, Navy, Marine, Guard, Reserve and 

regional Combatant Commanders includes graphical analyses, aviation terminal aerodrome 

forecasts, severe weather watches/warnings and advisories, and mission execution forecasts, 

such as aviation hazards and en route and target forecasts. Additionally, the OWSs provide flight 

weather briefings to aircrews, operating within their AOR without home station support or as 

requested by base or post-level weather forces. The 15th OWS, located at Scott AFB, IL, 

provides short-term backup services for the National Weather Services’ Storm Prediction Center 

(SPC) and Aviation Weather Center (AWC). In the event of an extended or catastrophic outage 

at either SPC or AWC, essential staff would relocate to the AFWA facility at Offutt AFB, NE, 

where system and communications infrastructure exists to support relocation backup of these 

critical national missions. At AF bases and Army posts, AFW forces focus on their warfighter’s 

mission requirements. These units provide and disseminate observations and develop tailored 

mission execution forecasts based on 

centrally produced guidance. For AF 

operations, these weather professionals are 

normally assigned to a flight under an 

operations support squadron of an AF flying 

wing; however, individuals from the 

weather flight are integrated into flying 

squadron mission planning and execution 

processes. For Army operations, the 

Battlefield Weather Airmen professionals 

are normally assigned to combat weather 

teams at all levels of Army support. The 

weather airmen are integrated into all aspects of Army operations. In this capacity, weather 

forces supporting AF and Army aviation operations infuse critical weather information at key 

points in the decision cycle to help aircrews maximize wartime capabilities, enhance flight 

safety, and optimize training effectiveness. 

Volcanic Ash Surveillance and Analysis. One of the roles of the 2nd Weather Group at AFWA 

is to provide volcanic ash surveillance and analysis for DoD aviation operations worldwide. 

Analysts continuously monitor all active volcanoes, generating more than 4,000 bulletins per 

year. Tailored satellite imagery, graphical ash plume forecast, and text bulletins provide vital 

information needed to mitigate airborne volcanic ash as a threat to flight safety. The 2nd Weather 

Group also provides critical backup for NOAA’s Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. 

Weather Specialty Teams. AFW experts are assigned to weather specialty teams in air and space 

operations centers. This crosscutting team integrates environmental information at key decision 

points of air and space operations planning, execution, and assessment. Armed with this 

Air Force Operational Weather Squadron (OWS) 

areas of responsibility (AORs) overlaid on 

geographic combatant commander AORs. 
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information, decision makers can balance operational risks against mission need to optimize 

timing, tactics, target and weapons selection, and other factors affecting air and space operations. 

Air Force Aviation Weather Products and Services 

NextGen Development. AFW continues active collaboration with the Next Generation Air 

Transportation System (NextGen) program, which is described more fully in the Aviation 

Weather Services section of this Federal Plan. Experiences gained through implementation of 

DoD’s Joint METOC Data Base and machine-to-machine data services used by the Air Force’s 

primary automated mission planning systems are providing valuable lessons learned for 

NextGen’s development. Air Force Weather Ensemble Prediction System (AFWEPS) is also 

providing valuable path-finding insight into the utility and delivery of probabilistic aviation 

impacts that is a requirement of NextGen’s 4-D data cube. 

Weather System Upgrades. In FY 2014, AFW will continue to upgrade weather systems and 

processes that support all DoD aviation. The continued fielding of the Joint Environmental 

Toolkit and upgraded surface weather sensors will produce more accurate and timely weather 

observation and forecast products. 

U.S. Army 

USA Weather Support Structure 

Weather support within the Army is a mix of Army and Air Force personnel and equipment in 

accordance with a United States Army (USA)–United States Air Force (USAF) agreement: 

Army Regulation [AR] 115-10/Air Force Instruction [AFI] 15-157 (IP), Weather Support for the 

U.S. Army, 6 January 2010. This inter-Service regulation describes the responsibilities of USAF 

and USA for providing weather support. Under this agreement, the USAF provides the Army 

with the necessary labor and unique tactical and fixed weather equipment to meet Army tactical, 

installation, and airfield support requirements for both Active and Reserve Components. The 

USAF assigns Air Force weather personnel to provide direct and indirect weather support to the 

Army Commands, Army Service Component Commands, and installations. The Army provides 

assigned Air Force personnel the equipment necessary to perform their Army support mission in 

the tactical environment. The Army also provides facilities and host services to Air Force 

personnel assigned to Army installations. Each Service provides this support on a nonreimbursable basis. 

Air Force Weather personnel provide installation, garrison, and tactical weather support on a 

daily basis to U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Army 

Special Operations Command, Eighth U.S. Army, and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine 

Command (TRADOC). The Army provides operational weather support to Army research, 

development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) ranges, centers, and other research facilities using 

the Army Test and Evaluation Command’s Meteorological Teams. U.S. Army Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT) provides weather 

support to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll through a 

Meteorological Environmental Test Support contractor.
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 Headquarters, Department of the Army, Army Commands, and Army Service 

Component Commands 

Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA.) The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, 

employs two civilian meteorologists whose primary duties are to establish weather policy within 

the Army, coordinate on AF weather policy issues with the Air Force Director of Weather (HQ 

USAF/A3/5), submit validated Army weather requirements and priorities to the HQ USAF/A3/5, 

coordinate with the AF on Army-AF and Joint Service weather operational concepts and 

doctrine, serve as the Army staff lead for meteorological satellite capabilities and issues, and 

review and coordinate Army-related support issues with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 

the Joint Staff, the Department of the AF, other Services, HQDA staffs, Army Commands, 

Direct Reporting Units, Army Service Component Commands, and other Federal Agencies. FY 

2014 activities will focus on meteorological satellite activities and collaboration of 

meteorological activities within the Army. 

The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7 (DCS, G-3/5/7), validates and prioritizes 

weather support requirements and programs to meet Army requirements, sets priorities for 

weather support for Army training and contingencies, coordinates with the HQ USAF on Army 

weather program and resource issues, Army Guard and Reserve weather issues, and Army 

installation weather support requirements. 

Training and Doctrine Command. Headquarters, TRADOC, is responsible for leading the USA 

in development of USA-USAF inter-Service weather operations, services concepts, and doctrine 

required in support of Army operations. TRADOC develops and manages USA weather training 

programs, documents standard USA equipment for use by AFW personnel in the Table of 

Organization and Equipment (TOE), and recommends modifications to the TOE and Common 

Table of Allowances to DCS, G-3/5/7, for validation as required. TRADOC’s Army Weather 

Proponent Office (AWPO) processes tactical Army weather support requirements, represents the 

Army’s warfighting functions by determining needed weather capabilities and processing 

weather requirements found in Joint and USA conceptual documents and originating from 

TRADOC centers and schools. 

Key mission areas for the next few years: (1) assist the USAF with development and 

implementation of a new weather support concepts to meet the needs of the USA’s evolving 

force structure; (2) update weather support doctrine, policy, organization, concepts, along with 

tactics, techniques, and procedures; (3) ensure weather lessons learned and after action concerns 

with AF weather support to USA operations are documented and communicated to Army and Air 

Force leadership; and (4) ensure USA weather support processes and procedures are trained 

across the TRADOC schools and centers. These mission areas are accomplished in coordination 

with the USAF Staff Weather Officers and USA and USAF civilians assigned within TRADOC. 

U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence. The U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence 

(USAICoE) is the functional proponent for USA tactical weather support. As such, TRADOC’s 

AWPO represents the USA Warfighter by processing weather support requirements and 

developing solutions to satisfy those requirements when they are the responsibility of the USA. 

The AWPO collects and processes weather requirements from TRADOC schools/centers, USA 

Medical Command, and USA Corps of Engineers (USACE). It collaborates with HQDA and 
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Headquarters, USAF, to recommend solutions to satisfy those requirements by processing 

tactical USA weather support requirements through the Joint Capabilities Integration and 

Development System (JCIDS) process. The AWPO employs one Department of the Army 

Civilian (DAC) to lead these weather requirement efforts. This DAC oversees the AWPO efforts 

with the JCIDS process, and in all doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, 

education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) work. This JCIDS and DOTMLPF work occurs 

within USAICoE and in conjunction with other USA Centers of Excellence and Army research 

and experimentation organizations.

U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE). USAACE provides 10 courses in the 

aviation training curriculum that contain weather training for aviators and unmanned aircraft 

systems operators. USAACE is in the process of acquiring excess automated surface observing 

systems from the Air Force to enhance flight safety at several training airfields. 

Artillery Meteorological Education and Training. The U.S. Army Field Artillery School, Fort 

Sill, Oklahoma, is the proponent for upper air meteorological support to the Army and home of 

the Field Artillery Meteorology Course. The AN/TMQ-52A/B MMS-P is a suite of 

meteorological sensors and associated software/models which will provide the field artillery with 

current and/or expected weather conditions at a point where the weapon munitions is expected to 

engage a target (Target Area Met). 

U. S. Army North (USARNORTH). USARNORTH employs one civilian meteorologist as an 

advisor to the Commander, USARNORTH, on all issues involving meteorology, oceanography, 

and space weather. This individual applies meteorological and oceanographic policies and 

objectives to cover all USARNORTH mission requirements, and coordinates on USARNORTH 

exercise and contingency plans. 

U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). ATEC is responsible for providing 

operational meteorological support to USA RDT&E. Under responsibilities established in AR 

115-10/ AFI 15-157 (IP), ATEC meteorological units provide meteorological data collection and 

analysis, consultation, and weather forecast and warning services to support USA and other DoD 

RDT&E activities at eight USA installations. The Chief of the Meteorology Division at Dugway 

Proving Ground's West Desert Test Center serves as the Program Manager for Meteorological 

Support to USA RDT&E. Specialized services provided by the division include: (1) technical 

assistance to the ATEC operational meteorological teams/branches; (2) system administration 

support to the 4DWX system components and network connections at each ATEC test center; (3) 

atmospheric model verification and validation, including algorithm evaluation and the generation 

of validation data sets; and (4) technical assistance to the DoD chemical, biological, radiological, 

nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) defense modeling community in the development of new 

CBRNE hazard assessment models. Division employees also serve on various national and 

international committees, addressing issues related to meteorological measurements, atmospheric 

dispersion modeling, CBRNE hazard assessment, and air quality. 

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command Support to 

the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. A subcommand of SMDC/ARSTRAT 

provides operational support to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, including 

support for range activities (local and remote missile launches), missile weapons readiness 
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testing, aviation and marine operations, and emergency operations. For further description of this 

support service, see “Other Specialized Services” in Section 2. 

U.S. Army Products and Services 

U.S. Army Artillery. The Meteorological Measurement Set-Profiler (MMS-P) is a major 

improvement over the legacy MMS, AN/TMQ-41. The MMS-P design supports the new 

generation of indirect fire artillery weapons. The MMS-P provides highly accurate 

meteorological (MET) data to adjust artillery fire and achieve first round hits and fires for effect. 

Existing systems are being replaced by the next generation of Profiler (Computer Meteorological 

Data-Profiler [CMD-P]) and are projected to be complete by 1st Quarter FY 2014. The CMD-P 

is designed to reduce the logistics footprint to a laptop configuration that is located in the 

Tactical Operations Center (TOC), thus eliminating the support vehicle and crew. Additionally, 

the local ground sensor will be removed to further reduce the logistical footprint, and the system 

interface with the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System will be a local area network 

(LAN) connection in the TOC. The system software will be capable of providing Field Artillery 

Computer MET and Gridded MET messages on demand with or without an operator in-the-loop. 

Distributed Common Ground System–Army Weather Services. The Distributed Common 

Ground System–Army (DCGS-A) is the Army’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance 

(ISR) enterprise for the analysis and processing, exploitation, and dissemination of information 

and intelligence data, including weather, across all echelons. DCGS-A weather services enable 

the Staff Weather Officer and intelligence operators to analyze and mitigate weather effects on 

intelligence operations, target development, and course of action selection. DCGS-A provides 

the actionable weather intelligence in support of tactical Army operations and resources 

protection. DCGS-A weather applications take advantage of Air Force weather products such as 

the Joint Environmental Toolkit and the Air Force Weather Web Service (AFW-WEBS) through 

reachback communications to supplement forward-based applications like the Integrated 

Weather Effects Decision Aid (IWEDA) and Weather Running Estimate (WRE). DCGS-A 

employs Ozone Widgit technology and the Data distribution Service to distribute products to 

Mission Command and other users throughout the enterprise.

U.S. Navy 

Operational Organizations 

Oceanographer of the Navy. Naval Oceanography encompasses Meteorology and 

Oceanography (METOC), Geospatial Information andServices (GI&S), and Precise Time and 

Astrometry (PTA) under the sponsorship of the Chief of Naval Operations. The 

Oceanographer of the Navy (OPNAV N2/N6E) is the Chief of Naval Operations’ (CNO) 

principal advisor and the Oceanographer of the Navy (N2/N6E) implements the CNO 

responsibilities for Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC), Maritime Domain Awareness, 

Navy Space, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), and performs functions relating to 

external interfaces with national and international operational and research and development 

oceanographic organizations and activities. 
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As the Oceanographer 

and Navigator of the 

Navy, he serves as the 

focal point for matters 

related to the Naval 

Oceanography 

enterprise (NOe) and 

related marine science 

fields. He represents 

the Commander 

Naval Meteorology 

and Oceanography 

Command 

(COMNAVMETOCC

OM or CNMOC) and 

the Naval 

Oceanography 

Operations Command 

(NOOC), and his staff 

works closely with the 

U.S. Fleet Forces 

Command (USFF), Pacific Command (USPACOM), and the Office of Naval Research to ensure 

the proper resources are available to meet mission requirements. As the functional manager for 

GI&S, he works within the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence (NSG) and liaises with 

the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), 

and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). He acts as Naval Deputy to the NOAA 

Administrator and represents the Naval Oceanography Program in interagency and international 

forums, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the World Meteorological 

Organization (WMO). He ensures Navy and Marine Corps equities regarding remote sensing 

from space and collection through manned and unmanned vehicles to effectively meet warfighter 

needs for Information Dominance, Battlespace Awareness, and Knowledge Superiority. 

Navigator of the Navy provides for the standardization of METOC, maritime geospatial 

information, astrometric and precise-time models, databases, and environmental predictive 

techniques. He coordinates NOe, Navigation Policy, and architectures with Navy and DoD 

science and technology and RDT&E, along with related efforts in civilian agencies and develops 

means for transition from research to operational applications. Information is no longer limited 

to an enabling role. Navy’s Information Dominance initiative serves to consolidate and integrate 

information-related METOC activities and initiatives outlined in the Naval Oceanography - 2025 

document, and Naval Oceanography’s Battlespace on Demand (BonD) concept. This integrated 

approach can provide the Fleet with more timely dissemination of critical information about the 

physical environment and its impacts on platforms, sensors, weapons, and personnel. Bringing to 

bear a unique combination of scientific, and engineering excellence, warfighting experience, and 

engagement in a wide range of partnerships, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography support is 

integral to Navy, Marine Corps, and Joint Force capabilities to deter or win regional conflicts or 

Organization of the Deputy, Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) for 

Information Dominance (OPNAV N2N6),showing placement of the 

Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, as the Director, Oceanography, 

Space, and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). 
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major wars and conduct peacetime operations, including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster 

Relief (HA/DR). 

Task Force Climate Change. Oceanographer of the Navy was appointed to head the Task Force 

Climate Change (TFCC) in May 2009. The TFCC addresses emerging Navy needs and develops 

comprehensive approaches, regarding Arctic and global climate change to guide future Navy 

public, policy, and strategy discussions. The Oceanographer of the Navy serves as Director of 

TFCC and develops comprehensive approaches regarding the Arctic and global climate change 

to guide future Navy public, policy, and strategy discussions. 

 A new National Strategy for the Arctic Region was signed 10 May 2013, reflecting growing 

recognition that the Arctic is opening up for human enterprise and will increasingly become a 

strategic priority for the United States. As a maritime domain, the Arctic is also a key area of 

interest for the Navy as detailed in the U.S. Navy Arctic Roadmap, which serves to guide policy, 

actions, and future investments. The Arctic and climate change Roadmaps provide all 

encompassing, chronological, science-based guidance for future Navy action from now through 

2040. 

Recent TFCC accomplishments include an Arctic Environmental Assessment, Arctic 

Capabilities-Based Assessment, Installation Vulnerability Assessment, and Identification of 

Arctic and Global Climate Change Research Needs, such as shallow and deep water multi-beam 

gear for research purposes. Bathymetric data underpins the other kinds of bottom data that 

researchers would gather in the Arctic. 

Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. Operational oceanography enables the 

safety, speed, and operational effectiveness of the fleet by illuminating the risks and 

opportunities for naval and Joint Forces posed by the present and future meteorological and 

oceanographic environment. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command 

(COMNAVMETOCCOM) is a third echelon command, reporting to USFF, and serves as the 

operational arm of the NOe. The Navy’s operational oceanography program focuses on 

generating competitive advantage across the physical maritime warfighting domain by providing 

our commanders a deep understanding of the current and future conditions of the battlespace to 

enable force maneuver, effective platform sensor and weapon systems employment, and 

operational safety. The COMNAVMETOCCOM's assets are globally distributed at shore 

facilities in fleet concentration areas and larger production centers in the U.S. 

COMNAVMETOCCOM operates through the Naval Oceanography Operations Command 

(NAVOCEANOPSCOM) collocated at the Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi. As the 

Navy’s physical science team, Naval METOC personnel (Navy and Marine Corps) are highly 

educated Sailors and civilians that measure and collect meteorological, oceanographic, 

hydrographic and other data relevant to the physical battlespace. They use the data to analyze 

and determine current conditions, forecast the future state, and provide mission-focused impacts 

that enable commanders to make well-informed operational decisions across the entire spectrum 

of warfare. Operational oceanography operates along eight distinct lines of operations: maritime 

operations, aviation operations, fleet operations, navigation, precise time and astrometry, 

expeditionary warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine warfare. Maritime operations enable 
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the safe operation of ships and submarines at sea through individualized forecasts, monitoring of 

their movement relative to hazardous weather, and alternate route advisories as warranted. 

Aviation operations are similar, but focus on the safe navigation of aircraft. Fleet operations 

represent our oceanography 

forces deployed on aircraft 

carriers, amphibious assault 

ships, independent deployers 

and task forces. METOC and 

Navigation services enable 

safety of surface and 

subsurface operations and 

support the Global 

Positioning System, 

networks, communications, 

and space-based systems. 

Expeditionary warfare 

(amphibious warfare, riverine 

warfare and special 

operations), antisubmarine 

warfare, and mine warfare 

(offensive mining and 

defensive countermeasures 

and clearance), as their 

names imply, support their 

respective warfare areas via a 

mixture of forward-deployed and reach-back capabilities required to provide intelligence 

preparation of the operational environment (IPOE) by assessing the impact of atmospheric and 

oceanographic phenomena on platforms, sensors, and weapon systems. COMNAVMETOCCOM 

forces also deploy as detachment teams to larger ships (aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, and 

command and control ships) as well as to forward operating areas as requested. 

COMNAVMETOCCOM is focused on providing critical environmental knowledge to the war 

fighting disciplines of Anti-Submarine Warfare; Naval Special Warfare; Mine Warfare; 

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; and Fleet Operations (Strike and Expeditionary), 

as well as to the support areas of Maritime Operations, Aviation Operations, Navigation, Precise 

Time, and Astrometry.

Major activities and additional subordinates within the command include the following: 

 NAVOCEANOPSCOM, Stennis Space Center, MS 

 Fleet Weather Center Norfolk and Fleet Weather Center San Diego with subordinate 

units and detachments 

 Naval Special Warfare Oceanography Center in San Diego, CA, (with components and 

detachments in Stuttgart, Germany, Norfolk, and Pearl Harbor) 

The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command 

(COMNAVMETOCCOM), located at Stennis Space Center, MS, is the 

organization for operational Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) 

reporting to U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF), headquartered in 

Norfolk, VA.
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 Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare Centers in Yokosuka, Japan, and Stennis 

Space Center, MS (with subordinate detachments) 

 Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), Stennis Space Center, MS 

 Fleet Survey Team, Stennis Space Center, MS 

 Naval Ice Center, Suitland, MD 

 Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), Monterey, CA 

 USNO, Washington, DC 

 Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Professional Development Center, Gulfport, MS, 

with detachments in Norfolk, VA; San Diego, CA; Pearl Harbor, HI; and Yokosuka, 

Japan

Naval Oceanography Operations Command. NAVOCEANOPSCOM is an echelon four 

command that coordinates and manages efforts among field activities under the Operational 

Oceanography enterprise to optimize warfighting resources, support safe operations, and enhance 

decision superiority within the battlespace through superior understanding and exploitation of the 

environment. The Command encompasses warfighting and enabling directorates for: Aviation 

Operations, Maritime Operations, Fleet Operations, Precise Time and Astronomy, Navigation, 

ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), Mine Warfare, Naval Special Warfare, and 

Anti-Submarine Warfare. Each directorate determines how that directorate’s services are 

delivered globally. Each directorate reports to a single Navy Captain who functions as Naval 

Oceanography’s Director of Operational Oceanography (DOO). 

The command’s operational model is knowledge-centric, based on deploying small and agile 

specialized teams forward with 24/7 reach back to major production centers for data and 

expertise and to operational mission-specific centers of excellence. Emphasis is placed on 

standardizing service delivery models for each directorate, value added automation, and enabling 

decision superiority (i.e. turning forecasts into decisions). The operations support portion of 

USN/USMC FY 2012 budget funds the day-to-day environmental support to the Department of 

Defense, the Active and Reserve Components of the Navy and Marine Corps, ten unified 

commands, and other agencies as directed by the Chief of Naval Operations. Over 1,228 

military and civilian personnel conduct these activities at more than 22 locations worldwide.

Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. FNMOC, which is an echelon four 

activity reporting to CNMOC, is the NOe production center for meteorology. This center plays a 

significant role in the national capability for operational weather and ocean prediction by 

implementing, operating, maintaining, and improving Numerical Weather Production (NWP) 

systems, including global and regional METOC models that extend from the top of the 

atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean. Since the end of the Navy’s Geosat Follow-On (GFO) 

satellite, the military has been reliant on the Ocean Surface Topography Mission for radar 

altimetry, a unique source for atmospheric, oceanographic, and geodetic data. Navy is working 

with NOAA to find partnership opportunities through the JASON-3 radar altimetry program, due 

for launch in 2014. Through close collaboration with NAVOCEANO, FNMOC is also a key 

component in the Navy’s operational weather and ocean prediction program. This program 
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provides information that broadens warfighting options, and provides predictive, battlespace 

awareness across all warfighting areas. In this sense, the battlespace includes the physical as well 

as the cyber and electromagnetic domain. Naval operational oceanography is the key contributor 

to providing the predictive, physical maritime battlespace awareness capability. We continue to 

strengthen our ties with the intelligence and cryptology/signals intelligence communities, which 

provide the human-influenced part of the maritime battlespace, to deliver fused battlespace 

information relevant to the Warfighter. In the future, vital information from both intelligence and 

oceanography professionals will be fused into the same common operational picture afloat, 

providing a view of the battlespace we can only imagine today, ensuring better and faster 

warfighting decisions. 

Naval Oceanographic Office. NAVOCEANO is the NOe’s production center for oceanography. 

Since atmospheric conditions are inherently coupled to oceanographic conditions, the Navy’s 

program in meteorology is closely linked with oceanography, which is the focus of the 

NAVOCEANO, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. NAVOCEANO’s primary responsibilities 

include the collection, processing, and distribution of oceanographic, hydrographic, and other 

geophysical data and products. NAVOCEANO is responsible for the administration of a fleet of 

six ocean-class hydrographic survey vessels and data from both aviation assets and spacecraft 

NAVOCEANO is headquartered at the Stennis Space Center, which is home to the Navy 

Department of Defense Supercomputing Resource Center that Navy, Army, and Air Force 

scientists and researchers use to design tools and weapons systems that support the Department 

of Defense’s global mission. The Navy DSRC is a premier provider of high performance 

computing services and support to DoD scientists and engineers. It is one of five supercomputing 

centers established under the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program 

(HPCMP). CNMOC maintains oversight of the Navy DSRC systems that have been operational 

since 1997.The Navy DSRC provides a high performance computing capability with primary 

emphasis on support of the largest, most computationally-intensive HPC applications. Our center 

leads the way for numerous HPCMP-wide initiatives and provides our users with in-depth 

computational expertise and support. While the HPCMP is primarily focused on DoD research 

and development programs, the Navy DSRC is unique in that approximately 15 percent of its 

total capability is apportioned for operational use by naval operational oceanography. Today, the 

Navy DSRC enables, on a daily basis, operational, global, regional, and port scale ocean 

circulation, as well as wave and sea ice forecast numerical models supporting worldwide Navy 

and DoD operations. Our global ocean forecast capability only became a reality a few years ago 

as the Navy DSRC’s computational capacity reached the 200 trillion floating point operations 

per second (teraflops) level. This year, the Navy DSRC’s total computational capacity reached 

over 950 teraflops. This affords us computational space to not only improve our ocean models, 

but to bring online world-class atmospheric models within the DSRC and begin to more tightly 

couple ocean and atmospheric physics and energy exchange to provide a more accurate, longer 

range future state of the atmosphere. 

United States Naval Observatory. The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) in Washington, DC, is 

responsible for maintaining precise time and making it available to DoD users. Coordinated 

Universal Time (UTC) is the DoD standard and is the primary time reference for GPS and other 

military applications. The precision of the USNO’s Master Clock (MC) makes it a popular 

reference choice for the internet’s Network Time Protocol (an Internet standard that facilitates 

the transfer of digital data). The MC is a major contributor to determining UTC, which is the 
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primary international civil time reference. In its role as the DoD Precise Time and Time Interval 

(PTTI) manager, the USNO performs an essential 

scientific role for the United States, the Navy, and 

the Department of Defense, as its mission includes 

determining the positions and motions of the earth, 

sun, moon, planets, stars, and other celestial objects; 

providing astronomical data; determining precise 

time; measuring the earth’s rotation; and maintaining 

the Master Clock for the United States. USNO 

astronomers make celestial observations, construct 

the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF), distribute star 

catalogs, formulate theories, and conduct relevant 

research necessary to achieve USNO mission goals. 

USNO astrometric data are used in a variety of ways 

by the DoD and civil communities, including 

navigation, earth and space platform pointing, 

satellite orbit determination, and optical system 

calibration. As an example of the latter, the primary 

sources of DoD meteorological data, the NOAA 

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 

(GOES) and Polar-orbiting Operational 

Environmental Satellite (POES) constellations of 

weather satellites, utilize the precise positions of stars to calibrate optical effects in the focal 

plane of their satellite imaging systems, applying corrections to subsequent images of the earth’s 

weather systems. 

Navy Products and Services 

Surface Transportation Operations. Dangerous weather and safe navigation are the top two 

Fleet concerns. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command is actively engaged with 

Fleet forces to provide valuable physical environmental knowledge to aid warfighting decision 

making. Personnel are integrated with the Fleet, where they provide in situ observations, run 

tactical decision aids, and interpret environmental data to provide decision support to Fleet 

commanders. Naval oceanography enables the safety, speed, and operational effectiveness of the 

Fleet, by illuminating the risks and opportunities posed by present and future states of the natural 

environment. 

The onboard personnel work with reach-back cells to analyze and forecast environmental 

conditions from launch point to target and to determine optimum Fleet maneuvers, ingress and 

egress routes, amphibious landing points and times, flight operations, weapons load-outs, and 

target selection. 

Highly trained meteorology and oceanography specialists are deployed to support planning and 

operations. Reach-back teams work with onboard personnel to refine data, develop models, 

conduct forecast analyses, and deliver high-quality information to Fleet commands. 

The Master Clock is an ensemble of dozens 

of independently operating atomic clocks, 

including cesium frequency standard clocks, 

hydrogen masers, and rubidium streaming 

atomic clocks as shown in this photograph 

(Information Dominance Corps Newsletter, 

April 2013). 
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Tailored Strike Group Oceanography Team (SGOT) detachments train, work-up, and deploy 

with carrier and expeditionary strike groups through each phase of the Fleet Readiness Training 

Program. Each SGOT detachment includes a team who forecast for the aircraft carriers, 

amphibious assault ships, and other vessels making up the strike group. In addition to flight deck 

weather, they forecast en route and target area METOC conditions that may vary greatly, 

considering the tremendous reach of Naval Aviation along the world’s dynamic coastlines. 

Maritime Weather Operations. The Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, VA supports operations 

for Commander Second Fleet (North Atlantic); Commander, Fourth Fleet (Caribbean Sea and 

South Atlantic); Commander, Sixth Fleet (Mediterranean Sea), and Arctic fleet operations. 

The Fleet Weather Center in San Diego, CA supports operations for the Commander, Third Fleet 

(East Pacific); Commander, Fifth Fleet (Arabian Sea and Suez Canal); Commander, Seventh 

Fleet (West and Central Pacific) areas of responsibilities. 

 

Navy meteorologists and forecasters provide Optimum Track Ship Routing (OTSR) and weather 

forecasts to support transoceanic voyages and coastal operations. OTSR services include:

 Hazardous ocean and weather 

advisories and divert 

recommendations to ship 

Commanding Officers and 

Masters at sea 

 Sortie recommendations for 

potentially damaging weather 

conditions in port 

 Preliminary climatologic 

outlooks for transit and mission 

planning 

 Routine ship weather forecasts 

and aviation weather forecasts 

for ship-based helicopters, to 

include high wind and seas 

warnings and local area 

warnings for Fleet 

Concentration Areas 

Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The JTWC, established by the U.S. Pacific Command, 

is jointly manned with U.S. Air Force personnel. JTWC services include tropical cyclone 

forecasts, warnings, and other products for DoD Warfighters operating in the Pacific and Indian 

Oceans. JTWC, located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is an internationally recognized tropical cyclone 

forecasting center. 

Naval Oceanography enterprise (NOe). Naval METOC underpins every aspect of naval 

operations and warfare. It provides an affordable and sustainable competitive advantage to the 

Nation and protects the substantial National investment in both afloat and ashore force structure. 
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The NOe, which is supported by ocean engineering, operational supercomputing, and operations 

research, in recent years reinvented itself to meet the warfighting needs of the operators and the 

fiscal needs of today’s Navy. 

Littoral Battlespace Sensing (LBS). LBS is the Department of the Navy’s IPOE approach for 

atmospheric and oceanographic data collection, data processing, and data/product dissemination 

to users. LBS facilitates better tactical decision making by enabling a system of networked 

sensors to share information through interoperability with Naval and joint networks and 

information systems. It addresses gaps with respect to environmental data fidelity (in time and 

space) that have been shown to play a critical role in force disposition and force posture in 

current and future naval missions. LBS is a critical persistent IPOE technology, a key component 

of the BonD framework, supporting Battlespace Awareness Joint Capability Area through 2025 

and beyond. 

FNMOC Numerical Weather Prediction Systems. FNMOC satisfies the military’s requirement 

for an operational global Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) capability. This requirement is 

driven by the importance of weather and ocean conditions on modern military operations, the 

need to use classified weather observations to guarantee the very best weather and ocean 

predictions in theaters of conflict, and the imperative to produce and disseminate weather and 

ocean products to military decision makers without fear of interruption or compromise as a result 

of cyber terrorists or cyber warfare. 

In general, FNMOC treats the air-ocean environment as a fully integrated system, from the top of 

the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean, placing special emphasis on the air-ocean interface. 

FNMOC employs four primary models—the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction 

System (NOGAPS), the Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS), 

the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Navy (GFDN) model, and the Wave Watch III model 

(WW3)—along with a number of specialized models and related applications. 

 NOGAPS is a hydrostatic, global spectral model that drives nearly all other FNMOC 

models and applications in some fashion, and forms the basis for the FNMOC global 

Ensemble Forecast System. 

 COAMPS is a high-resolution, non-hydrostatic regional model, multiply nested within 

NOGAPS. It has proven to be particularly valuable for forecasting weather and ocean 

conditions in highly complex coastal areas. 

 GFDN is a moving-nest tropical cyclone model, nested within NOGAPS. It is used to 

forecast tropical cyclone tracks globally. 

 WW3 is a spectral ocean wave model that is employed both globally (driven by 

NOGAPS) and regionally (driven by COAMPS) in support of a wide variety of naval 

operations. 

Other models support and supplement the main models with predictions of ocean thermal 

structure, ocean currents, and other parameters. All of the models are configured, scheduled, and 

operated under the central control of FNMOC operations. COAMPS, however, can also be 

configured, scheduled, and operated remotely by users in the field as an on-demand modeling 
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service. This is done over the Worldwide Web via the FNMOC Centralized Atmospheric 

Analysis and Prediction System. 

FNMOC Products and Services. FNMOC’s complex and robust operational prediction 

capability is designed to deliver, in conjunction with NAVOCEANO, 7x24x365 support 

organized along the warfare areas. For example, some FNMOC products consist of detailed 

forecasts of wind stresses and heat fluxes to drive very high-resolution ocean models at 

NAVOCEANO that provide ocean thermal structure and currents in support of anti-submarine 

and mine warfare operations, or near-shore wind, sea, and surf forecasts that directly support 

Fleet Operations through ship-to-objective maneuver. In many cases, the outputs of the FNMOC 

models feed directly into applications models, tactical decision aids, and other products that 

provide direct support to various weather-sensitive activities associated with the warfighting 

directorates identified above. These include optimum path aircraft routing, optimum track ship 

routing, issuance of high-winds and high-seas warnings, hurricane/typhoon sortie decisions, 

covert ingress/egress of Special Operations Forces, ballistic missile targeting, cruise missile 

launch and targeting, radar, EO, and FLIR system performance prediction in support of ship self 

defense, naval gunfire operations, understanding the threats posed by airborne 

nuclear/biological/chemical agents, search-and-rescue at sea, and many other activities. 

FNMOC also provides a wide-range of meteorological and oceanographic observations and 

satellite imagery to complement its models and applications products. These include on-demand 

extracts from its global observational database, a full range Microwave/Imager products, ERS 

and QuikScat scatterometer wind products, a comprehensive view of tropical cyclones via the 

FNMOC TC Web Page, and various experimental satellite products fielded for evaluation in 

conjunction with the Naval Research Lab. 

Many of FNMOC’s products are distributed to users over the Web via the PC-based METCAST 

system, and subsequently displayed and manipulated on the user’s PC with the Joint METOC 

Viewer (JMV) software. This includes all standard METOC fields, synoptic observations, and 

satellite imagery. FNMOC provides a Web-based capability called WxMap (i.e., “Weather 

Map”). WxMap, requiring only a Web browser for access, allows the user to select and quickly 

display predicted METOC fields for any user-defined geographical area. FNMOC benefits 

greatly from collocation with its supporting R&D activity, the Marine Meteorology Division of 

the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL/MRY). NRL/MRY is a world-class research organization, 

with focus on weather-related support to warfighting. FNMOC and NRL/MRY share space, data, 

software and computer systems, and together with the nearby Naval Postgraduate School 

represent one of the largest concentrations of weather-related intellectual capital in the Nation. 

Collocation and close cooperation between research and operations, such as exists between 

NRL/MRY and FNMOC, is the optimum arrangement for transitioning R&D quickly and cost 

effectively into new and improved operational weather prediction capabilities. 

NAVOCEANO Products and Services. NAVOCEANO is the Navy's center for operational 

oceanographic support and provides daily analyses and forecasts of the ocean state with a series 

of global, regional, and coastal ocean circulation and wave models. 

The core of the system is the dynamic Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) which predicts 

three-dimensional ocean properties to 96 hours. The 1/8 degree (14km/7.5nm) resolution Global 
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NCOM covers the world from pole to pole and is coupled with the Arctic Polar Ice Prediction 

System, which forecasts ice properties for the National Ice Center. 

Twelve regional NCOMs are on line with 24 planned by 2014. Nested 1/36 degree (3km/1.7nm) 

regional NCOM domains of order 20 by 20 degree sizes provide high-resolution ocean forecasts 

in areas of Navy and national interest. Global and regional NCOM products and data fields are 

shared with our NOAA partners. 

NAVOCEANO runs a series of coastal, estuarine, and river domains with resolutions as fine as 

1/360 degree (300 m, 1000 ft) or less in the support of mine warfare and homeland security 

efforts. When appropriate, coastal NCOMs are supplemented by other models including 

HYDROMAP, DELFT3D, and PCTIDES. These models are forced by global and regional 

atmospheric field data provided from FNMOC’s NOGAPS and COAMPS runs. The NCOMs are 

initiated through the assimilation of ocean data from satellites (sea surface temperature and 

altimetry) and various surface and subsurface observing systems, including ship data, ARGO 

profiling floats, and gliders. Observations are also used to evaluate model products and estimate 

model skill. In the near future, the Global NCOM will be replaced by the 1/12-degree resolution 

Global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model, which was developed under the National Ocean 

Partnership Program by a consortium of government and academic scientists, led by NRL 

Stennis and including NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). 

NAVOCEANO is the Navy's primary processing facility for a number of polar-orbiting and 

geostationary satellite collection systems, and is nationally recognized for satellite-derived seasurface temperature and satellite altimeter-derived sea surface topography and wave height 

observations. These products are shared with NOAA partners and are critically important to 

successfully running both the NAVOCEANO ocean models and FNMOC's NOGAPS and 

COAMPS atmospheric models. NAVOCEANO houses a DOD Supercomputer Resource Center 

that provides the power to run the center's operational ocean models. This center provides a firm 

link between research and operations, facilitating the rapid transition of the latest ocean modeling 

capabilities. 

Naval Aviation Support. Many environmental conditions severely impact flight operations and 

mission accomplishment. These include: wind speed and direction, cloud ceiling, precipitation, 

turbulence, visibility, icing, and severe weather such as thunderstorms. An accurate forecast is 

often the deciding factor in mission success and for the safety of the pilot and their aircraft. Navy 

weather observers and meteorologists analyze current physical environmental conditions and 

forecast atmospheric and oceanographic phenomena, impacting naval flight operations, by 

leveraging state-of-the-art computer models. 

Meteorology and Oceanograpy Education and Training. Navy officers trained as 

meteorologists and oceanographers are all university graduates in meteorology, oceanography, or 

other earth sciences, with most attaining dual meteorology and oceanography advanced graduate 

degrees. Enlisted forecasters and/or briefers are trained in meteorological analysis and 

forecasting at military schools. Enlisted observers receive training at military schools. The 

enlisted Aerographer’s “A” (observer) and “C” (forecaster) schools are located at the Naval 

Technical Training Unit, which is collocated with USAF and Marine weather training at Keesler 

Air Force Base, Mississippi. Ongoing professional development for both officer and enlisted 
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personnel is offered through the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Professional 

Development Center in Gulfport, Mississippi (with Pacific and Atlantic detachments). This 

development center offers directorate-specific training, as well as training on general 

oceanographic knowledge. 

Precise Time and Astronomy. This program provides astronomical and timing data for all DOD 

navigation and positioning activities as well as command, control, and communications 

architectures. This program funds upgrades and life-cycle replacements to the Master Clock at 

the USNO for Global Positioning System (GPS III) and maintenance of star catalogs and 

celestial reference frames for strategic systems. 

U.S. Marine Corps 

U.S. Marine Corps METOC Service 

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps METOC Service is to provide meteorological, 

oceanographic, and space environmental information, products, and services in support of 

Marine Corps military operations and garrison activities. The Marine Corps METOC support 

infrastructure is designed to readily deploy and operate in austere expeditionary environments in 

support of Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations. The Deputy Commandant for 

Aviation, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, is the responsible office for Marine Corps METOC 

requirements and support. The Marine Corps METOC organization consists of two operational 

chains of command: one for Supporting Establishment METOC units and the other for the Fleet 

Marine Force (FMF). Supporting Establishment METOC units are located worldwide at Marine 

Corps air stations, facilities, air ground training centers, and base installations. These activities 

are manned and equipped to provide direct aviation METOC support to host and tenant units at 

seven major air stations. FMF METOC activities are organized, trained, and equipped to provide 

tailored support products and services to all combat elements of a MAGTF. METOC support 

focuses on projected consequences for expeditionary maneuver warfare operations, particularly 

operational maneuver from the sea. Navy and USMC provide training for use of the Tactical 

Decision Aids (TDAs) at PDC and MAWTS-1 and in preparation for the deployment of SGOTs 

and MEUs. FMF METOC activities are fully interoperable with Joint Force operations, as part of 

a Service or functional component command. When directed to stand up as part of a Joint Task 

Force headquarters, they are capable of planning, coordinating, and leading Joint METOC 

operations. Marine METOC forces can rapidly transition from a pre-crisis state to full 

operational capability in a distant theater, providing on-scene support to MAGTF, Joint, 

combined, allied, and Coalition operations and other military operations as may be directed. 

FMF METOC assets are permanently assigned to Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) 

headquarters, intelligence battalions, Marine Air Control Groups (MACG), and Marine Air 

Traffic Control Detachments. There are three MEFs strategically positioned for global response. 

The I MEF, which is based in southern California, and the III MEF, which is forward based in 

Okinawa, Mainland Japan, and Hawaii, report to the Commander, Marine Forces Pacific. The II 

MEF, which is located at bases in North and South Carolina, falls under the Commander, Marine 

Forces Command. 

MEF METOC personnel serve as special staff to the commanding general and are under the 

direction and cognizance of the intelligence division (G-2). The three intelligence battalions in 
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the Marine Corps are co-located with respective MEF headquarters. They directly support the 

MEF G-2 and serve as MAGTF intelligence centers during operations. METOC is a vital part of 

the intelligence estimate and is an essential element that supports the Marine Corps Rapid 

Response Planning Process. METOC personnel assigned to these commands provide expertise, 

products, and services that directly support the IPB process by helping intelligence analysts to 

evaluate, integrate, and synchronize METOC effects for both enemy and friendly courses of 

action.

MEU METOC Support Team. The MEU METOC Detachment is task-organized and taskequipped to provide a limited level of METOC support to combat elements other than an ACE 

(e.g., a Command Element, Ground Combat Element, or Combat Service Support Element) and 

is assigned in support of Marine Expeditionary Unit operations. It is capable of rapidly deploying 

as part of a first-in level of METOC support response to a crisis and can be easily integrated into 

an Air Contingency MAGTF. Additionally, the detachment can be assigned to augment a Joint 

METOC Coordination Center during joint operations. Elements consist of four to five Marines, 

Minimum of 1 SNCO, (2) 6842 MOS and (1) 6852 MOS dependent on mission. When deployed, 

a detachment will normally be assigned to the intelligence division/section (S-2) of the supported 

Marine Expeditionary Unit. The detachment deploys with (2) NITES IV Processsor Suites and 

(2) NITES IV Sensor Suites. Team member functions include collection, analysis, assessment 

and dissemination of meteorological and oceanographic data for mission planning and execution. 

The detachment will collect METOC data and information from organic sensors, Navy METOC 

personnel afloat, or other METOC support organizations and agencies to satisfy METOC 

information requirements. 

Marine Corps Products and Services 

METOC Support Capabilities—Meteorological Mobile Facility-Replacement Next Generation 

(METMF(R)NEXGEN). The highest level of METOC support to the MAGTF operations is the 

deployment of the METMF(R) NEXGEN. The METMF(R) NEXGEN provides critical enabling 

capabilities to collect, process, disseminate, and integrate essential elements of information 

regarding the time-sensitive characterization of the physical environment. The METMF(R) 

NEXGEN enables or enhances METOC professionals’ ability to operationally characterize the 

physical environment’s current and future states that directly and indirectly influence the 

MAGTAF’s AO and ability to conduct the full Range of Military Operations (ROMO). The 

METMF(R) NEXGEN will serve as an environmental collection asset in direct support of all 

MAGTF units as well as in general support to Joint and Coalition forces, The METMF(R) 

NEXGEN is capable of serving as host for an in-theater Joint METOC Coordination Cell 

(JMCC) during Joint operations and exercises. The METMF(R) NEXGEN will collect and 

disseminate near real time weather radar images, receive and process satellite imagery from 

Geosynchronous Orbiting Earth Satellites (GOES) and Polar Orbiting Earth Satellites (POES) to 

include the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), employ an in-situ surface-based 

meteorological sensor capable of sensing and collecting environmental parameters (e.g., wind 

speed and direction, pressure, visibility, current weather) in real time, support the deployment of 

two remote surface-based meteorological sensors, and the collection of upper atmosphere 

meteorological parameters. 
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Marine Corps Aviation Support. The Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) conducts the complete 

range of air operations in support of the MEF, to include anti-air warfare, offensive air support, 

assault support, aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and control of aircraft and missiles. 

The MAW serves as the principal headquarters for the ACE. Most of the MAGTF’s METOC 

support assets reside within the MAW, specifically at the MACG and its subordinate Marine Air 

Traffic Control Detachments. These assets are organized, structured, and capable of supporting a 

variety of MAGTF and ACE-specific operations as defined by the size, scope, and mission 

requirements. Dedicated METOC support is available for all MAGTF elements from within the 

MAW/ACE. 

Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System (NITES IV). Each MACS Detachment is 

equipped with one NITES-IV suite and each Intelligence Battalion is equipped with up to seven 

NITES IV suites to provide forward METOC support. The NITES IV is a modular system, used 

to provide limited METOC support in a stand-alone mode with increasing capabilities realized 

with the addition of SIPRNET/NIPRNET connectivity. The NITES-IV suite consists of three 

laptops. Each laptop is designed to perform a different function, but all three are loaded with the 

same software and can perform the tasks of the others. Mission requirements, network 

availability, and embarkation space dictate how best to employ the NITES IV. 

Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System (NITES-Next). NITES-Next will be the 

primary METOC processing, exploitation, and dissemination system, converting atmospheric 

and ocean weather information into Warfighter impacts and closing capability gaps for safety 

and mission planning in degraded communication environments. 

Vaisala TacMet Meteorological Observation System. Organic to the METMF(R) NEXGEN, the 

TacMet is a field deployable, compact weather station for various field operations. Offering 

broad sensor capability, the local MAWS201M network system is used to provide weather data 

to support air operations on a temporary or semi-permanent basis, and the portable 

MAWS201MR system can be easily and rapidly deployed during amphibious operations. The 

local system enhanced configuration offers full aviation support, interfacing with intelligent 

sensors, such as ceilometer, present weather sensor, and electric field mill. These sensors are 

capable of being deployed up to 150 feet away from the METMF(R) NEXGEN. The RSS 

includes meteorological sensors connected to electronic hardware that accurately digitizes and 

reports real-time, onsite weather data to the METMF(R) NEXGEN from pre-positioned, remote 

locations. This portable, scalable system comprises a sensor set with wind speed and direction, 

barometric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation sensors. 

U.S. Coast Guard 

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is a military, multi-mission maritime service and one of our 

Nation’s five armed forces. The USCG protects the public, the environment, and the economic 

interests in the Nation’s ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, and in 

other maritime regions, as required to support national security. The USCG has a long history of 

environmental observations and science support. Support for meteorological operations and 

supporting research is detailed in other sections of this plan. 
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SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

National Unified Operational Prediction Capability Research Partnering Initiative 

The Navy, Air Force/Air Force Weather (AFW), and NOAA/NWS partner in this tri-agency 

management organization. The National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) 

vision is a national numerical weather prediction (NWP) system with interoperable components 

built on common standards and a common framework (the Earth System Modeling Framework), 

with managed operational ensemble diversity and a national global NWP research agenda to 

accelerate science and technology infusion. NUOPC focuses on the next-generation systems for 

global NWP with full implementation by 2020, allowing for possible future expansion into other 

areas of numerical environmental prediction. NUOPC established its Initial Operational 

Capability in January 2011, which provides a National multi-model global ensemble exchanged 

between NOAA, the Navy and the Air Force on a one degree grid for 72 variables out to 16 days. 

Upgrades to ensemble systems will continue and the resolution of the exchanged ensemble 

members is scheduled to be doubled by the end of 2013 to one half degree, and doubled again to 

one quarter degree in the next several years as computing and communications capabilities grow 

to support this requirement. The partners continue to use and develop ensemble-based products 

such as the new Wave Watch 3 Ensemble, based on this multi-model system, that brings 

substantial skill improvements over any single model solution. 

The NUOPC effort partners with the Earth System Predictions Capability (ESPC) to improve 

and extend forecast skill through coupled systems. This effort is research focused to stimulate 

inter-agency interactions and collaborations in developing systems to improve forescast at time 

scales from near-term weather to inter-seasonal/inter-annual. It also is working to couple 

domains such as atmosphere, ocean, ice, land and eventually into ecosystems. Improvements in 

predictions in these broader domains and timescales will result in better severe weather warnings 

(hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms), better cost avoidance for weather sensitive industries 

(agriculture, transportation, utilities, defense), and better informed decision making for industry, 

defense, and the general public. Finally, NUOPC efforts will work to operationalize findings 

from ESPC for the next generation environmental prediction system. More information is 

available at the NUOPC website at: www.weather.gov/nuopc/ and the ESPC website at: 

www.espc.oar.noaa.gov/. 

U.S. Air Force Supporting Research Programs and Projects 

Technology Transition Initiatives. The overarching objective of the USAF meteorological and 

space environmental technology transition program is to give capability designers, operational 

weather personnel, and weather information users the technology and tools to gain and maintain 

the advantage over a potential adversary. AFW’s capability needs in the atmospheric and space 

environment sciences are articulated in the Initial Capabilities Document for the METOC 

Environment, Capability Review assessments, the AFW and AFWA Strategic Plans, the AFW 

Operations Functional Concept and Enabling Concepts (Characterize the Environment, Exploit 

Environmental Information, and Net-Centric Operations), and supporting concept and 

implementation plans. AFW also uses cooperative development and testing agreements with 

other governmental agencies and laboratories, as well as with for-profit companies. Both the Air 

Force Institute of Technology and the Naval Postgraduate School offer USAF and Navy graduate 
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students in the atmospheric and space environmental sciences opportunities to research topics of 

immediate operational interest to U.S. Military Services. 

AFW-WEBS is a centralized Web service capability providing access to environmental 

information appropriate to all levels of operation and command. The program is designed to 

leverage net-centric capabilities and geospatial display services via AFW-WEBS to provide the 

operational warfighting community a single point of access to the total AF authoritative 

environmental content from sources across the AFW enterprise. By 2015, AFW-WEBS will 

have evolved into the single Web site optimized for accessing authoritative AF meteorological 

information and services. All appropriate meteorological information will be serviced in 

geospatially enabled formats for direct integration into warfighter systems and decision cycles. 

Consistent environmental characterizations of key mission-impacting weather parameters 

improved by the FITL process will be used as a common source for both visualized web content 

and for direct M2M services accessed by warfighter systems. AFW forces will employ AFWWEBS capabilities to improve the quality, accuracy, and effectiveness of all-weather support 

processes. Finally, C2, ISR, and MP systems will employ AFW-WEBS products and services to 

help more decision makers maintain better BA and use the knowledge gained from this process 

to plan and execute more effective missions.

Cloud Forecasting. In applied meteorological R&D, the AF is improving cloud forecasting 

techniques by increasing the resolution, using a new cloud interpretation/typing scheme, 

integrating available satellite (to include non-traditional METSAT) into the cloud analysis, 

incorporating cloud optical properties, and blending numerical weather prediction with forecast 

cloud advection techniques. The AF has transitioned key advances in tactical decision aids into 

operations, permitting improved forecasting of electro-optical system performance and 

generation of cloud and target scene visualizations for training, system development, and mission 

rehearsal. 

Weather Forecast Modeling for Air Force and Army Operations. The Weather Research and 

Forecasting (WRF) model is the next generation community model and is another area of AFWA 

participation in research and development in collaboration with National Center for Atmospheric 

Research (NCAR), NOAA’s NCEP, NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL), the 

University of Oklahoma’s Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, and others. AFWA 

initially implemented WRF operationally in 2006 and will continue with sponsorship and 

funding of development at NCAR and ESRL, along with test and evaluation of real-time runs of 

the WRF model runs as well as the WRF-Chem (which takes into account chemical and aerosol 

constituents). The Land Information System analyzes the current state of the land surface to 

provide information to DoD and civilian agencies, and, through coupling with WRF, will 

improve forecasting performance near the surface and in the low levels of the atmosphere. This 

enables AFW forces to provide better battlespace characterization for missions such as (but not 

limited to) low-level aircraft operations, the dispersion of aerosol contaminants, and the 

employment of precision-guided munitions. It also allows for assessment of trafficability for 

ground forces. 

In early 2012, AFWA put a capability called the Air Force Weather Ensemble Prediction Suite 

(AFWEPS) into operations. AFWEPS output, at both the mesoscale and global scale, provides 

better meteorological intelligence for the warfighter by objectively quantifying the forecast 
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certainty of mission-impacting meteorological parameters to optimize operational risk 

management for all echelons of decision making. It provides probabilistic algorithms for highimpact variables and quantify biases, allowing concise, focused products. 

Research Partnering Initiatives. AFW is partnering with the NWS and the Navy in the NUOPC 

project. This partnership exists to enable a tri-agency joint global atmospheric ensemble forecast 

system. NUOPC is an integration of ongoing efforts coordinated by a tri-agency management 

organization. The NUOPC vision is a National NWP system with interoperable components built 

on common standards and framework (Earth System Modeling Framework) with managed 

operational ensemble diversity and a national global NWP research agenda to accelerate science 

and technology infusion. 

Tactical Decision Aids. AFW collaborates in the development of several tactical decision aids, 

including the Target Acquisition Weapons Software (TAWS), the Infrared Target Scene 

Simulator (IRTSS), and the Tri-Service Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (T-IWEDA). 

TAWS provides a joint mission-planning tool for combining platform, weapon, target, 

background, and weather factors to depict three-dimensional target acquisition and lock-on range 

and recognition range versus time. 

 TAWS can be used to predict environmental impacts on night vision goggles and low 

light-level systems used by air, naval, and ground forces to execute nighttime operations. 

 IRTSS uses detailed terrain information and multi-spectral imagery with TAWS weather 

inputs to generate forecast target scene images for mission rehearsal. 

 T-IWEDA uses environmental data with force, mission, and/or individual weapons rules 

of engagement or performance parameters to automatically generate mission-impact 

forecasts for large-scale planning efforts such as air tasking order preparation. It aids in 

selecting platforms, systems, or sensors, based on system rules with critical values and a 

forecast of weather conditions. Results are displayed on a red/yellow/green weather 

effects matrix and overlaid on a background map. 

TAWS, IRTSS, and T-IWEDA integrate environmental impacts into the mission execution 

forecasts for operations command and control and for mission planning systems throughout the 

military planning and execution cycle. AFRL, the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems 

Command, NRL, and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are developing modular 

programs as part of the T-IWEDA initiative. The Tactical Decision Aids program continues 

adding weapons systems and targets to the inputs to these decision aids at the request of users 

from the Services. 

U.S. Army Supporting Research Programs and Projects 

Army Materiel Command (AMC) 

AMC is responsible for the RDT&E of equipment to satisfy the USA’s requirements for 

meteorological support. AMC provides meteorological and climatological support to RDT&E 

projects, involving electro-optical sensors and atmospheric and obscurant effects on systems and 

their performance. It is also responsible for determining weather-impact critical threshold values 
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and the environmental sensitivities of battlefield systems, including soldiers. AMC has several 

major subordinate commands and elements carrying out weather R&D responsibilities, including 

the Research Development and Engineering Command, which has responsibility for the USA’s 

Research Development and Engineering Centers and ARL. 

Battlefield Environment Division, ARL Computational and Information Sciences Directorate. 

The Battlefield Environment Division of the Computational and Information Sciences 

Directorate in ARL develops environmental knowledge and technology for the Warfighter 

through a robust R&D program aimed at characterizing and modeling the lower atmosphere and 

its effects on Army systems and personnel at very high spatial and temporal resolution. The 

research program focuses on: (1) measurements, modeling, and theoretical investigations of 

aerosols, acoustics, electro-optics, and adaptive optics to support advances in detection and 

identification within the battlefield environment; (2) research to measure, model, predict, and 

understand the dynamics of the boundary layer atmosphere and its effects on Army systems and 

operations; and (3) research necessary to meet the Army’s requirements for detailed atmospheric 

analyses and very-short-range predictions (Nowcasts) over mission-execution battle space 

domains in complex terrain areas and within urban environments. This mission effort is carried 

out through the: (1) development of high-resolution physics-based and semi-empirical models 

for urban meteorology; (2) development of Decision Support Tools (DSTs) that describe the 

impacts expected, and the resulting performance degradation due to, adverse environmental 

conditions, to include weather and terrain, for both friendly and threat systems; and (3) 

development of improved propagation and scattering models to be employed in novel techniques 

that can enhance the detection, identification, and localization of biological aerosols and acoustic 

and optical sources, and to enable evaluations that will improve the performance of acoustic and 

electro-optic sensors. The following FY 2014 research programs are planned within ARL-BED’s 

three branches: 

Research in Aerosol Physics: (1) investigate how bio-aerosol properties change with varying 

atmospheric conditions so that viability and detectability can be added to transport and 

dispersion models for force protection and mission planning; and (2) exploit techniques to 

measure Raman spectra of individual airborne bio-particles to provide increased characterizing 

capability. 

Research in Optical and Acoustical Propagation in the Atmosphere: (1) integrate functional 

relationships between Electro-optical(EO), mid-infrared (MidIR), and long-wave infrared 

(LWIR) polarimetric signatures as a function of atmospheric conditions for improved target 

detection, classification, and identification; (2) investigate and model atmospheric water vapor 

impacts on Terahertz band communications propagation statistics for digital link quality in 

covert local wireless communications applications; and (3) measure and model optical 

turbulence based on underlying diurnal atmospheric boundary layer processes to improve the 

prediction of strong turbulence effects on high-energy laser propagation in complex terrain. 

Predictive Modeling of the Boundary Layer: (1) formulate and evaluate numerical methods to 

improve ABLE model performance for Army decision aid applications; (2) investigate 

biologically-inspired fast patterned responses to control surface wind flow changes to more 

effectively predict and mitigate boundary layer wind gust effects on micro-air vehicle hover and 
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stability; and (3) investigate and develop an experimental hybrid data assimilation approach for 

initializing WRE-N to improve fine-scale weather forecast performance.

Atmospheric Modeling: (1) investigate and verify Atmospheric Boundary Layer Environment 

(ABLE) model microscale wind, temperature, and moisture dynamics output for more realistic 

and accurate prediction of derived features such as turbulence, jets, convective eddies and gusts; 

(2) investigate and verify the sub-kilometer Weather Running Estimate-Nowcast (WRE-N) for 

complex terrain and implement version to supply data for actionable weather decision support 

tools (DSTs); and (3) evaluate modeling post-processing methods for enhancement of 

meteorological accuracy for artillery applications. 

Atmospheric Diagnostics:    (1) develop electromagnetic, intelligent optical, and acoustic 

remote sensing techniques and sensor performance models for the detection of adverse 

environmental conditions, individual targets, and local and regional events; (2) develop anomaly 

image quality metrics for detecting areas of interest within optical images; (3) develop and 

evaluate a prototype dynamic passive optics aperture system that exploits the latest improved 

theory of short exposure imaging through optical turbulence for its ability to reduce short 

exposure turbulence blur as it captures images; and (4) develop mobile weather technology for 

Soldier and autonomous system applications to 

enhance the availability and communication of 

weather impacts data and use at the lowest echelons. 

Atmospheric Prediction for Local Areas: (1) develop 

techniques for integrating probabilistic forecast grids 

into weather impacts DSTs; research, develop, and 

verify impact magnitude gradation enhancements to 

DSTs to improve the characterization of local 

atmospheric impacts on operations; and (3) couple 

meteorological data with aerosol sampling data to 

support source identification of aerosol particles. 

Adaptive, Active, and Intelligent Optical Systems: 

Develop advanced battle-space tactical, short-haul, 

and long-range atmospheric laser/UV/LED/RF 

communication and imaging technologies to achieve 

high bandwidth communication, high fidelity visualization, and allow utilization of advanced 

command and control techniques. 

Improving Sensor and Display Capabilities: Develop time-domain acoustic models that 

incorporate ground impedance and atmospheric effects to create synthetic sensor waveform data 

in various environments for training and evaluating acoustic classification algorithms. 

ARL Army Research Office. The Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park, North 

Carolina, manages the Army’s extramural basic research program in the atmospheric sciences. 

These programs are concerned with understanding the dynamical and physical properties, 

processes, and constituents of the atmospheric boundary layer through measurements, 

simulations, and theoretical considerations. The basic research program is conducted through 

Accurate wind forecasts are essential to 

deliver airdropped supplies to the precise 

location. (U.S. Army photo) 
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the peer-reviewed, individual investigator program and occasional special initiatives. The focus 

of the research is on the atmospheric boundary layer over land, where the Army operates. 

Objectives of the research are to develop, from first principles, the physical basis for 

understanding the boundary layer, thereby leading to better understanding, modeling, and 

quantifying of atmospheric effects on soldiers, materials, and weapon systems. The research 

examines quantification, classification, and dispersion of battlefield materials; the effects of 

heterogeneous terrain features on airflow; and the development of natural obscurations 

throughout the diurnal cycle. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers R&D 

The Corps of Engineers (COE) is responsible for reviewing emerging Army systems for 

environmental effects, as stated in AR 70-1 and AR 115-10/AFJI 15-157. The COE Engineer 

Research and Development Center (ERDC) develops Tactical Decision Aids (TDAs) and 

geospatial analysis tools to interpret and help the Warfighter understand the impact of weather 

on terrain and provide actionable information of terrain, atmospheric and weather effects on 

units, systems, platforms and soldiers in support of Mission Command and Intelligence, 

Surveillance and Reconnaissance planning. TDAs will transition to the Distributed Common 

Ground System–Army (DCGS-A), the Joint Battle Command-Platform and the Commercial 

Joint Mapping Tool Kit. 

ERDC supports Army weapon systems RDT&E with all-season solutions for mitigating adverse 

environmental effects on Army operations. Basic and applied research is conducted on energy 

and mass transfer processes at and near the terrain surface. ERDC develops databases and 

models for predicting the state of the terrain including surface temperature, soil moisture, 

tactical decision aids, and geospatial tools supporting mobility analysis and sensor performance. 

These products transition to research and engineering programs including advanced technology 

demonstrations and specific programs of record. FY 2014 planned efforts include (1) 

optimization of physical terrain surveillance by matching sensor modalities to mission, terrain 

complexity, and predicted weather effects; and (2) integration of terrain and weather influences 

and model predictions for seismic, acoustic, radar and radio frequency modalities into the 

sensor mission planning tool, Environmental Awareness for Sensor and Emitter Employment 

(EASEE). 

Army Test and Evaluation Command 

ATEC is responsible for providing operational meteorological support to Army RDT&E. Under 

responsibilities established in AR 115-10/AFJI 15-157, ATEC meteorological units provide 

meteorological data collection and analysis, consultation, and weather forecast and warning 

services to support Army and other DOD RDT&E activities at eight Army installations. 

Enhancements to ATEC Four-Dimensional Weather System. The Army RDT&E Meteorology 

Program is continuing to collaborate with the National Center for Atmospheric Research 

(NCAR) on enhancements to the ATEC Four-Dimensional Weather (4DWX) system, which is 

the backbone of the meteorological support infrastructure at the Army test ranges. ATEC 

4DWX modeling capabilities include Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model based 

real-time four-dimensional data assimilation at eight Army test ranges, and Global Meteorology 
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on Demand, a globally relocatable mesoscale modeling system to support Army RDT&E 

(including ATEC distributed and virtual testing) at locations other than the Army ranges. Output 

from the 4DWX mesoscale model forecasts and analyses is used as meteorological input to 

atmospheric dispersion, noise propagation, ballistic trajectory, and other range applications 

models to simulate many tests and their associated impacts. The 4DWX system contributes to 

improved test planning and conduct, selection of more representative locations for test sensors, 

inclusion of realistic atmospheric effects in virtual testing, and forensic analyses of 

meteorological effects on test results. 

Major 4DWX system components include a central data archival/retrieval system for all range 

and external meteorological and model data, the WRF high-resolution mesoscale meteorological 

model, an innovative real-time data assimilation system, and a variety of user-configurable 

displays. The computers installed at each test center to execute the 4DWX models have been 

replaced with a consolidated system located at DPG, with a backup to be located at NCAR. The 

consolidated system was much less expensive than purchase of separate computers, and has 

enabled easier and more consistent security upgrades and maintenance. 

The DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Office (HPCMO) in 2006 provided the 

ATEC program with a high-performance computer (HPC) that since 2007 has enabled 

operational 30-member ensemble 4DWX forecasts to support DPG test operations. With this 

HPC approaching the end of its expected life cycle, in 2012 DPG purchased a replacement 

system. The original HPC is still operational; therefore the replacement system is in use for 

model evaluation studies until the original system fails. The HPCMO recently awarded ATEC a 

2014 Designated Support Partition, a large allocation of computer resources at the Navy’s DoD 

Supercomputing Research Center at Stennis Space Center, for extension of the Ensemble 4DWX 

system currently in operations at Dugway Proving Ground, to all the ATEC test ranges. 

System enhancements during FY 2014 will include continued WRF and data assimilation 

development focused on forecasting improvements at each range, in addition to advances which 

apply generally to all WRF applications, including continued work on hybrid data assimilation in 

particular radar data assimilation; improved lightning potential prediction; development of range 

climatologies; continued development of Very Large Eddy Simulation capabilities; continued 

development of an on-line automated real-time quality control for observations; and continued 

enhancements to the AutoNowcaster implementations at Redstone Test Center and at White 

Sands Missile Range. In addition, preparations are underway to install a weather surveillance 

radar at the Cold Regions Test Center. Also, ATEC will continue collaboration with the Army 

Research Laboratory to evaluate the utility of 4DWX data as input to the ARL MyWIDA 

weather impacts decision aid, and plans to evaluate an upgraded sound propagation model under 

development at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, for potential use at Aberdeen Proving Ground 

and Ft A.P. Hill, Virginia. 

U.S. Navy Supporting Research Programs and Projects 

Resource Allocation. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), through the Oceanographer of the 

Navy, sponsors operational Navy Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) services and 

related research and development. In 2012, the Oceanographer of the Navy acquired 

responsibility for funding the Navy’s meteorology and oceanography Operations and 
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Maintenance (O&M,N) funding from the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Director for 

Material Readiness & Logistics, Fleet Readiness Division (OPNAV N43).

SPAWAR/PEO C4I (PMW 120). Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) and 

Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence 

(PEO-C4I) execute the Navy’s Information Dominance Systems Command responsibilities 

providing capabilities for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); cyber warfare; 

command and control; information and knowledge management; communication systems; and 

enabling technologies including meteorology and oceanography (METOC) for the Navy and 

Marine Corps tactical and operational level warfighters. METOC, ISR and the Information 

Operations (IO) divisions are the three primary product lines of the Battlespace Awareness and 

IO Program Office (PMW 120) within PEO C4I. PEO C4I program offices, such as PMW 120, 

typically apply and plan for the entire set of DOD life-cycle acquisition management phases for 

their assigned programs and projects: the technology development phase, engineering and 

manufacturing development phase, production and deployment phase, and operations and 

support phase. The SPAWAR Fleet Readiness Directorate (FRD) and the SPAWAR Systems 

Center (SSC) Pacific and Atlantic In-Service Engineering Agents (ISEAs) work closely with 

PEO C4I’s program offices and operational naval units to seamlessly and effectively execute the 

deployment and support of naval C4I systems and capabilities, including Navy and Marine Corps 

METOC systems and capabilities. 

Material Readiness & Logistics, Fleet Readiness Division (OPNAV N43). 

Program Alignment. The Naval Oceanography Enterprise (NOe) is changing focus from an 

acquisition-based program to “in-stride” technology transition that will rapidly transition R&D 

into operations and will influence the Navy’s science and technology investments. Emerging 

R&D technologies will be tested in computational and operational environments and transitioned 

after an appropriate collaborative period. 

Earth System Prediction Capabilities. The National Unified Operational Prediction Capability 

(NUOPC) initiative exemplifies how naval operational oceanography interagency partnerships 

contribute to enhanced capabilities. Navy is partnering with NOAA and other agencies on ESPC 

(Earth System Prediction Capabilities), a zero-hour to 30-year model of the atmosphere, the 

ocean, and ice. The ESPC focus is on next-generation systems for Global Numerical Weather 

Prediction with full implementation by 2020. The ESPC primary deliverable is a multi-model 

global ensemble forecast system, coupling the domains of land, sea, atmosphere, ice, and space. 

Improvements in predictive capability are expected to result in better severe weather warnings 

(hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms), better cost avoidance for weather sensitive industries 

(agriculture, transportation, utilities, defense), and better informed decision making for industry, 

defense, and the general public. 

Solid State Laser Technology Maturation for Atmospheric Characterization (SSL-TM). 

The NOe under COMNAVOCEANCOM direction, has partnered with Program Manager Ships 

(PMS 405) in coordinating atmospheric and oceanographic efforts for Solid State Laser (SSL) 

Technology Maturation (TM) and Quick Reaction Capability (QRC). An Integrated Product 

Team (IPT) is charged with providing 24/7 atmospheric characterization and performance 

prediction for SSL operations at any maritime location of Navy interest. Current focus is on 
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modeling and measurements, needed in developing vertical optical extinction and turbulence 

profiles. CNMOC is the Navy authoritative source for what atmospheric models to tap into and 

FNMOC is the Navy’s lead atmospheric modeling center. Other participants include ONR 34, 

NRL, and COMNAVSPAWARSYSCOM. Tech Solutions is a SPAWAR-led R&D effort for a 

weather sensing system onboard naval surface ships called Automated Shipboard Weather 

Observation System (ASO). The design of a variety of laser systems, for example, the Modular 

Universal Laser Equipment (MULE), has used the R&D turbulence models to optimize systems 

for operation in the atmospheric environment expected in different operational theaters. 
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SPACE WEATHER SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

Space Weather Prediction Center 

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s 

(NCEP) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), 

within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service 

(NWS), is the Nation’s official source of space weather 

alerts, watches, and warnings for conditions in the space 

environment that impact systems and technologies that 

are vulnerable to space weather. The SWPC provides 

real-time monitoring and forecasting of space weather 

events, conducts research in solar-terrestrial physics, 

and develops techniques for forecasting space weather 

storms. These services are provided to promote public 

safety and mitigate economic loss that could result from 

disruption of critical systems such as satellite 

operations, communications and navigation systems, 

and electric power distribution grids. The SWPC 

operates the national civilian Space Weather Forecast 

Office, coordinating with Air Force Weather Agency 

(AFWA) personnel at Offutt Air Force base in the 

production of joint products, ensuring a consistent 

message on the space weather forecast across both 

civilian and Department of Defense (DOD) customer 

bases. The SWPC provides services to customers on a 

24 hour-per-day, seven day-per-week basis. SWPC 

forecasts and products include observations of solar, 

interplanetary, geospace, ionosphere, and thermosphere 

conditions that impact technologies at Earth. The SWPC 

also develops and evaluates new models and products 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Space Weather Services are those specialized meteorological 

services and facilities established to meet the needs of users for information on space weather 

conditions and space weather storms that can affect terrestrial systems, Earth’s atmosphere, and the 

near-Earth space environment. Space weather services include monitoring and reporting of space 

weather storms and their effects on the Earth’s atmosphere, ionosphere, and geomagnetic fields. Early 

warning of an approaching space weather storm, so that timely protective response is possible, is an 

important part of space weather services. 
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and transitions them into operations. The SWPC takes a leading role in advocating and 

specifying new space-environment sensors for operational use. 

The SWPC provides services to a broad user community of government agencies including 

DOD, NASA, DHS, DOE, and FAA. The SWPC provides support to industries, public 

institutions, and private individuals including the electric power industry, the airline industry, the 

satellite industry, oil exploration, agriculture, and many users of HF communication and satellite 

navigation. The SWPC also serves as the primary international World Warning Agency for the 

International Space Environment Service (ISES). It exchanges international data (solar wind, Xray, sunspot, corona, magnetic, and ionospheric measurements) in real-time and issues a 

consensus set of daily forecasts for international use. 

U.S. Air Force 

The mission of AFW is to enable joint Warfighters to anticipate and exploit the weather for air, 

ground, space, cyberspace, and intelligence operations. As this applies to the ‘Space Weather 

Services’ category, AFW provides space environmental information, products, and services 

required to support Department of Defense (DoD) operations as required, providing actionable 

environmental impacts information directly to decision makers. 

AFWA’s Space Weather Flight is the Department of Defense’s reachback center for space 

environmental services operations. These personnel apply a detailed understanding of the space 

environment to translate raw data into useful military intelligence information, which can be 

integrated into the Common Operating Picture. 

Forecasters in the Space Weather Flight, 2nd Weather Squadron (2 WS), 2nd Weather Group (2 

WXG) at the AFWA, monitor the sun’s emissions and provide mission-tailored analyses, 

forecasts, and warnings. Their products are used for mission planning and environmental 

situational awareness by national agencies, DoD operators, Warfighters, and decision makers. 

Solar emission of highly-energetic particles, X-rays, and radio bursts can produce the following 

effects on DoD operations: 

 Electrical anomalies and degrading of components to satellites and other equipment in 

orbit above the protective levels of the atmosphere. 

 Impacts on electromagnetic signals, influencing High Frequency (HF) communication, 

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communication, and Global Positioning System (GPS) 

satellite navigation signals. 

 Increased drag on satellites in low-earth orbit. 

 Increased interference or false returns to sunward or poleward looking radars. 

 Potential health impact of radiation exposure to high-altitude aviators and those flying 

over polar regions. 

The 2 WS also provides both immediate and extended backup support for the SWPC. The 

backup may include the use of on-site personnel or augmentation from SWPC depending on 

severity and expected duration. 
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The 2 WS space weather technicians located at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB), Nebraska, and at 

solar observatories around the globe never let the sun slip from view. They provide timely, 

relevant, and accurate space weather information to DoD personnel, issuing approximately 

35,000 forecaster-in-the-loop and automated textual and graphical products warning of 

significant solar activity daily. 

Space environmental information is obtained through a combination of ground- and space-based 

systems. For the near-earth environment, i.e., ionosphere, ground-based systems provide highly 

accurate point source verification and specification, whereas space-based systems enable global 

coverage and theater-wide situational awareness. For solar data, ground-based systems provide 

reliable observations of the sun in optical and radio frequencies, and space-based observations 

provide information (or data) unobtainable from the ground. Space-based systems provide in situ 

measurements of the space environment; i.e., solar wind and magnetosphere. AFW has outlined 

plans to modernize ground-based space sensing and is collaborating with U.S. and Allied 

government and civilian 

agencies to achieve a 

robust space-sensing 

capability. 

AFWA’s 2 WS operates 

the Solar Electro-optical 

Observing Network 

(SEON), a network of five 

ground-based observing 

sites located around the 

globe providing 24-hour 

coverage of solar 

phenomena at optical 

and/or radio wavelengths. 

The network sites are: 

 Detachment 1, 

Learmonth, 

Australia 

 Detachment 2, Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts 

 Detachment 4, Holloman AFB, New Mexico 

 Detachment 5, Kaena Point, Hawaii 

 San Vito, Italy (contract site) 

The SEON network sites utilize the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) and/or the Solar 

Observing Optical Network (SOON). The RSTN is composed of the Radio Interference 

Measuring Set (RIMS) and the Solar Radio Spectrograph (SRS) and is used to monitor solar 

radio bursts at eight specific frequencies as well as a spectral band. The SOON is used to 

monitor solar flare activity, which can trigger coronal mass ejections that may interact with the 

earth’s magnetic field to create geomagnetic storms. The SOON images the sun in the hydrogenSolar optical and radio telescopes at Learmonth, Australia. Source: U.S. Air 

Force. 
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alpha wavelength, which reveals the complex solar activity in the lower atmosphere or 

chromosphere, as well as imaging the sun in the continuum (pseudo-white-light), which shows 

sunspots on the sun’s surface or photosphere. The SOON also creates magnetograms by 

analyzing right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized light to image the line-of-sight 

component (Doppler shifting) of the magnetic field in the photosphere. When solar emissions 

are observed over threshold levels, solar analysts transmit activity messages that are used to 

prepare mission-tailored analyses, forecasts, and warnings used for mission planning, mission 

execution, and environmental situational awareness. 

AFWA employs a worldwide network of ground-based ionosondes and other sensors to provide 

environmental data in the ionosphere. It manages the NEXt-generation IONosonde (NEXION) 

fielding that started in summer of 2009, which will culminate in 30 NEXION sites worldwide. 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory operates a complementary global network of more than 125 

sensors, deriving ionospheric line-of-sight total electron content from GPS signals, and provides 

these data to AFWA. Additional data are provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

which operates a network of ground-based magnetometers, primarily in the northern hemisphere, 

that provide AFWA with critical measurements of the earth’s geomagnetic field and its 

variances. 

From space, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Precipitating 

Electron and Ion Spectrometer measures low-energy precipitating electrons that interact with the 

auroral boundary, causing the aurora and other high latitude phenomena. The DMSP Special 

Sensors-Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation sensor provides top-side measurements of the 

ionospheric environment, complementing ground-based sensors. These data are utilized to assess 

the impact of ionospheric conditions on ballistic-missile early warning radar systems and longrange communications. Additionally, the data are used to monitor global auroral activity and to 

predict the effects of the space environment on satellite operations. The Solar X-Ray Imager 

aboard NOAA’s GOES-15 satellite monitors solar X-ray emissions and provides near real-time 

display at AFWA and the SWPC in Boulder, Colorado. AFW also leverages space-based data 

from NASA and other agencies. 

AFW will continue to lead the Department of Defense in space weather operations in FY 2014 

and beyond. In FY 2014, AFW will maintain its aggressive posture to upgrade its solar 

equipment and processes, along with providing new or upgraded facilities for some solar 

locations. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

The Geomagnetism Program (http://geomag.usgs.gov) of the USGS Geologic Hazards Science 

Center provides real-time, ground-based measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field, which are 

an important contribution to the diagnosis of conditions in the near-Earth space environment of 

the Sun, the solar wind, the magnetosphere, the ionosphere, and the thermosphere. During 

geomagnetic storms, brought about by the complex interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with 

that of the Sun’s, both high- and low-frequency radio communications can be difficult or 

impossible, global positioning systems (GPS) can be degraded, satellite electronics can be 

damaged, satellite drag can be increased, and astronauts and high-altitude pilots can be subjected 

to enhanced levels of radiation. 
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Ground-based geomagnetic observatory data are complementary to those collected by spacebased satellites; indeed, most of the hazardous effects on technological systems brought about by 

magnetic storms occur at or near the Earth’s surface. Therefore, the Geomagnetism Group 

monitors the surficial magnetic field by operating 14 magnetic observatories in the United States 

and its territories. The data from these observatories, plus 15 foreign observatories, are 

transmitted to the group’s headquarters in Golden, CO, where they are processed and analyzed. 

Data are then transmitted to the SWPC and AFWA. 

USGS observatories are operated in cooperation with Intermagnet (http://www.intermagnet.org), 

an international consortium overseeing the operation of over 100 geomagnetic observatories 

distributed around the globe. The USGS Geomagnetism Program is an integral part of the 

National Space Weather Program (NSWP). 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has initiated an Interagency Planning 

effort to develop a Concept of Operations Plan (CONPLAN) that will identify roles and 

responsibilities of each agency during a Space Weather Event. FEMA is working with their 

interagency partners to define the scope of this CONPLAN and to create a workable scenario on 

which to base the plan. Currently, this effort is in its infancy stage and participants in this effort 

are still being identified. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

Space Weather Prediction Testbed 

The SWPC operates the Space Weather Prediction Testbed (SWPT) to provide the operational 

Space Weather Forecast Office with new models, products, and forecast techniques. The SWPT 

performs applied research and evaluates scientific developments from other agencies to develop 

and identify new capabilities that could improve the prediction skills of the space weather 

forecasters. The SWPT validates and verifies new research results and works to transition 

research developments into operational products and services. Through these activities the 

SWPT achieves its principal objective of infusing the benefits of new research and technology 

developments into operational space weather products and services, in order to improve the 

utility and capabilities of the SWPC alerts, watches, warnings, and forecasts for its customers. 

SWPT Activities include: 

 Maintaining awareness of scientific advances and new techniques being developed to 

identify improved data-analysis techniques, forecast models, and observational systems 

that have potential for significantly improving the forecast guidance provided by space 

weather forecasters; 

 Conducting, supporting, and managing focused research on data-analysis techniques/ 

algorithms, forecast models, and observational systems that have the potential to 

significantly improve the forecast guidance provided to space weather customers; 
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 Developing, testing, validating, and verifying promising numerical codes and forecast 

techniques, emerging from the research community to determine their potential benefits 

for possible use in operations; 

 Communicating priorities and operating procedures to maintain fair and open interactions 

with all stakeholders (operational, research, academic, international, and commercial) and 

to stimulate improvements in space weather analysis and forecasting applications; 

Current projects at the SWPT include the following: 

 Improvements in the one-to-four day forecasts of space weather storms by improving the 

definition and parameterization of coronal mass ejections (CME) for input into 

operational solar-heliospheric models that forecast the propagation of solar disturbances 

through interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth. 

 Improving services to the electric power industry by evaluating and testing 

geospace/magnetosphere models with the goal of transitioning research models into 

operations so that SWPC can provide customers with regional forecasts and 

specifications of space weather impacts. 

 Improving estimates of auroral impacts by the development and transition of an auroral 

forecast model that will provide estimates of where and how intense the aurora will be. 

These forecasts will be used in other space weather models as well as by the general 

public interested in observing aurora. 

 Improving services to GPS/GNSS satellite navigation customers by the development of 

the Whole Atmosphere Model which extends the NCEP Global Forecast Systems 

weather model up to the near-space environment thereby providing specification and 

forecasts of the impacts of the lower atmosphere weather systems on space weather. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Research conducted within the USGS Geomagnetism Program targets space-weather 

applications that use ground-based magnetic-observatory data. Recent work has concentrated on 

the development of a real-time, storm-time disturbance index, Dst, which serves as a standard 

proxy measure of the magnetospheric equatorial ring-current intensity and is an important input 

to numerous operational physics-based models of the coupled magnetospheric-ionospheric 

system. Ongoing work is aimed at developing real-time, mid-latitude magnetic-disturbance 

indices needed for measuring localized magnetic disturbances across the contiguous United 

States; real-time, high-latitude auroral-zone indices needed for monitoring geomagnetic 

substorms; and real-time estimates of geomagnetically induced currents that represent a hazard 

for electric power grids. All of these projects are part of a larger project for developing timedependent geomagnetic-disturbance hazard maps. Other current research projects are focused on 

analysis of individual historical magnetic storms, long-term changes in geomagnetic activity, and 

long-term changes in solar-terrestrial interaction, all of which are important for understanding 

the potential hazard posed by magnetic storms that will occur in the future. The research staff of 

the USGS Geomagnetism Program provides leadership and technical guidance to Intermagnet, 

an international consortium that is dedicated to promoting the global integration of magneticobservatory operations. They also represent the USGS in numerous other national and 
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international forums. The role of the USGS Geomagnetism Program within the larger NSWP 

was recently summarized in a feature article in the journal Space Weather which is published by 

the American Geophysical Union and is co-sponsored by the ISES. 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

The objective of the Heliophysics Division of National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s 

(NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is to explore and understand the dynamic processes 

connecting the Sun, the Earth and planetary space environments, and the outer reaches of our 

solar system and develop the knowledge to predict extreme conditions in space to protect life and 

society. In short, the focus is on our local star – the Sun – and how it supports our solar system 

and ultimately, life and society on Earth. 

The three areas of concentration are theory development, data collection and analysis, and 

modeling of the resulting scientific understanding. To support this effort, the division operates a 

fleet of 18 missions involving 28 spacecraft. The region of space that must be covered is huge, 

extending from the Sun through the Earth’s near-space environment and outward to the edges of 

the solar system. 

Currently, five NASA research missions provide data that have become essential to our nation’s 

space weather protection community. This is done by either direct broadcast from the satellite to 

a network of NASA and non-NASA receiving antennae, or by data that is processed in near realtime and made accessible via the internet. The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) 

spacecraft provides data on the condition of the solar wind upstream of the Earth’s magnetic 

field. Additional space weather information is provided by Solar Terrestrial Relations 

Observatory (STEREO) which broadcasts beacon images of the far side of the Sun; as well as 

coronal mass ejection alerts from the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) 

and super high-resolution images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). In August 2012, 

the Van Allen Probes were deployed and began to provide near-real-time information on the 

conditions in the Earth’s radiation belts. 

NASA also supports the development of space weather technology and predictive capability with 

its Research Program and the Living with a Star Science Program. With the Research Program’s 

instrument development funding, NASA is developing the next generation of instruments that 

will be capable of observing extreme space weather conditions. NASA works to continually 

improve the understanding of space weather that enable improvements to space weather 

prediction models. Also, within the Research Program, as a quality assurance activity to validate 

solar and space physics research models and to prepare them for transition into operational 

activities, NASA operates a Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), an interagency 

collaborative activity involving the NSF, NOAA, and the DOD. 

Department of Energy 

The U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) 

supports the NSWP through the collection and distribution of operational data, through 

participation in research missions with space weather applications, and through the development 

of space weather models such as DREAM and AE/AP-9. One of the most significant 
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contributions is the collection and distribution of space weather data from DOE/NNSA 

instruments on U.S. government satellites in geosynchronous and GPS orbits. DOE/NNSA 

geosynchronous observations have been available continuously since 1979 and, since 1989, 

measurements span energies from a few electron volts (eV) to tens of MeV. Geosynchronous 

observations are also available in real time from multiple satellites which constitutes an 

important resource for driving real-time specification and forecast models. 

DOE/NNSA space weather resources on GPS satellites, include both particle measurements for 

the space radiation environment and impulsive RF measurements that provide important 

information on ionospheric structure and density with global coverage (24 satellites). GPS 

observations cover the time period from 1983 to present so, as with other geosynchronous 

measurements, they provide an important resource for space weather climate models and for 

validation and testing of specification and forecast models. 

DOE/NNSA, through the national laboratories, has also provided important space weather 

capabilities through the construction and operation of scientific instruments that also provide 

important space weather information. These include the plasma spectrometer on ACE (L1 solar 

wind), particle detectors on RBSP (ring current, radiation belts, solar particles), Forté 

(ionospheric structure and density), and others. DOE/NNSA has also supported the development 

of space weather models. These include the next-generation climatology model (AE/AP-9) for 

spacecraft design and the DREAM model which is a real-time assimilative model for the 

radiation belts. Both models rely heavily on geosynchronous and GPS observations. A third is 

RAM-SCB which is a model of the ring current. DOE/NNSA strives to partner with other 

entities with space weather interests and is exploring new ways in which its data, models, and 

space weather services can be more fully utilized to support the national space weather 

enterprise. 

National Science Foundation 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports the NSWP in pursuing the program’s objective 

to perform the research and technology transfer needed to improve the specification and 

forecasts of space weather events that can cause disruption and failure of space-borne and 

ground-based technological systems and that can endanger human health. NSF supports space 

weather through dedicated programs as well as through basic space physics research programs. 

Space weather relevant research efforts include the development of large-scale space weather 

forecast models, construction and operation of advanced ground-based instruments and networks 

for the observation of space weather parameters, and the development and demonstration of 

innovative and creative small space weather satellites. NSF NSWP support in FY 2013 was 

estimated at $14 million and is expected to be around the same level in FY 2014. 

U.S. Air Force 

Air Force Research Laboratory 

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) supports Air Force Weather’s space weather 

mission by executing research conducted by external agencies and by conducting in-house 

research on space weather. In space weather research, AFRL programs focus on ionospheric 
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impacts to radio frequency systems, charged particle specification and forecasts, solar 

disturbance prediction, and neutral density effects on low-earth orbiting spacecraft. Working 

closely with the DMSP System Program Office at the Space and Missile Systems Center, under a 

memorandum of agreement, AFRL supports the development and upgrading of operational space 

weather sensors, models, and software products including space environment sensors on the 

DMSP spacecraft, state-of-the-art ground-based scintillation detectors, total electron content 

sensors, ionospheric characterization, solar radio and optical emissions observing, and the 

Operational Space Environment Network Display suite of Web-based products. 
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 Surface Transportation Services 

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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

National Weather Service’s (NWS) Marine and Coastal Weather Services is the lead for the 

Nation’s marine and coastal weather services, encompassing a vast area from -coastal waterways 

and near-shore bays and inlets to the open oceans spanning much of the northern and western 

hemispheres. The program is aimed at ensuring safe and efficient transportation, fishing, 

recreation, and offshore mineral exploration, in support of both commercial and recreational 

interests, and with consideration of the expanding and weather-sensitive U.S. coastal population. 

Forty-seven coastal Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and the National Hurricane Center and the 

Ocean Prediction Center provide forecasts, analyses, watches, warnings and advisories of 

maritime conditions as well as coastal and tropical hazards. These services are provided for 

coastal waters, offshore and high seas waters, and Great Lakes nearshore and open lake waters. 

Coastal WFOs have responsibility for forecasts and warnings extending up to 60 nautical miles 

from the shore. The National Centers has are responsible for offshore and high seas waters, 

meeting U.S. international meteorological obligations to marine interests under the International 

Convention for Safety of Life at Sea, to which the United States is a signatory. 

Using observational data sources such as buoys and satellites, and numerical model guidance, 

NWS forecasters monitor weather conditions continuously over our responsible maritimedomain. 

Routine forecast products and analyses, watches, warnings, and advisories are disseminated to 

describe maritime weather, sea ice and oceanographic conditions including tropical-storms and 

coastal storm hazards. Marine and coastal warning and forecast products describe wind, waves, 

visibility, icing, storm surge, coastal flooding, severe weather, high surf, and rip currents. 

Tropical-storm products describe track and intensity as well as associated coastal hazards such as 

storm surge, waves, and inland impacts. 

The Marine and Coastal Services program collaborates with a wide range of partners within and 

outside of NOAA. The program relies on the Office of Operational Systems and NOAA’s 

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS) for the collection of 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Surface Transportation Services are those specialized meteorological 

services and facilities established to meet the weather information needs of the following surface 

transportation sectors: roadways, long-haul railways, the marine transportation system, rural and urban 

transit, pipeline systems, and airport ground operations. The roadway sector includes State and Federal 

highways and all State and local roads and streets. The marine transportation system includes coastal and 

inland waterways, ports and harbors, and the intermodal terminals serving them. Rural and urban transit 

includes bus and van service on roadways and rail lines for metropolitan subway and surface “light-rail” 

systems. Operational and supporting research programs for Aviation Services are often also relevant to 

airport ground operations, but program budgets counted in Aviation Services are not double-counted here 

under airport ground operations, and vice versa. 
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marine and coastal observations and the delivery of marine and coastal products to users. It 

works with NESDIS, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to provide ice warning 

and advisory services through the joint National Ice Center. It supports the Navy, the USCG, the 

U.S. Maritime Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to operate the 

Nation’s Marine Transportation System safely. It collaborates with the DOD, FEMA, DHS, and 

USACE to provide tropical cyclone warning and forecast services; with the USCG, Navy, Air 

Force, and private entities to disseminate weather information to mariners; It supports NOAA’s 

National Ocean Service (NOS) on the PORTS and TIDES programs; and through the World 

Meteorological Organization to coordinate maritime weather and ice safety services with 

national meteorological and hydrological services world-wide for consistent and seamless 

services that cover world oceans. It also collaborates with NOAA’s Office of Response and 

Restoration, Department of Defense, USCG and Department of Homeland Security to support 

the emergency responses to maritime incidences such as hazardous material spills; maritime 

domain search, rescue, and recovery operations; and security needs. 

The NWS and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are working together to improve the 

incorporation of weather information by state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in their 

decision making for high impact weather events. Currently, the NWS provides weather 

information through a variety of dissemination mechanisms used by some state DOTs for the 

purpose of ensuring motorist safety, and for protecting life and property. This includes 

coordination on forecasts and wording of variable message signs along roadways, engagement 

with state DOTs on 2-way NWSChat, and evaluation of road models based on NWS grids. NWS 

provides direct decision support to some state DOTs in certain non-routine situations, from realtime to seasonal events, which threaten public safety or can cripple road and bridge 

infrastructure. Support has been provided outside of standard products for fires (particulates and 

winds), dense fog, dust storms, hazardous material incidents/spills, coastal and inland flooding 

(flash flood, probabilistic river forecasts, precipitation frequency Atlas and runoff), and 

dangerous winter (black ice, snow accumulation, melt related flooding) or tropical storms. Direct 

support includes single-slide IDSS (integrated decision support service) graphics prepared for 

specific DOTs and experimental local graphical travel pages. State DOTs have also captured 

NWS graphics for redisplay directly on their public websites or internal web pages for each mile 

marker as well as for content in their 5-1-1 Travel Information Systems. To improve readiness, 

NWS provides seasonal training workshops and site visits with state DOTs. 

NOAA/National Ocean Service 

Marine Transportation System Services 

The National Ocean Service (NOS) is the primary civil agency within the federal government 

responsible for the health and safety of our nation's coastal and oceanic environment. Largely 

through the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) program 

line, NOS acquires water levels, currents, and other physical oceanographic and meteorological 

data and distributes these data and circulation predictions as elements of an integrated NOS 

program. This program provides a comprehensive science-based suite of information required by 

the marine transportation community to ensure safe and efficient transportation, including the 

transport of hazardous materials. NOS also provides coastal oceanographic and meteorological 

products required by the NWS to meet its short-term weather and forecasting responsibilities, 
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including tsunami and storm surge 

warnings. NOS manages several 

observing systems and programs; 

however, four in particular are heavily 

linked to the capability of NOAA to meet 

the marine transportation needs of the 

nation: 

National Water Level Observation 

Network (NWLON). NOS manages the 

NWLON, which officially consists of 210 

stations located along the coasts of the 

United States and the Great Lakes, from 

which water level data as well as other 

oceanographic and meteorological data 

are collected and disseminated. NWLON 

provides data and supporting information 

to a number of NOAA and other federal 

programs, such as the NOS Nautical Charting Program, NOS Shoreline Mapping Program, NWS 

Tsunami Warning System, NWS storm surge warning/forecast activities, and the Climate 

Services Program. Approximately 182 of the 210 NWLON stations contain at least one 

meteorological sensor (an anemometer, a barometer, an air temperature sensor and at some Great 

Lakes stations a relative humidity sensor), and 150 stations are outfitted with a full suite, which 

includes dual anemometers, a barometer and an air temperature sensor. Water level and 

meteorological data are automatically formatted into SHEF bulletin format for inclusion into the 

NOAA AWIPS system. In FY12, two NWLON stations in Texas were upgraded to Sentinels, 

which are specially-designed water level stations that are built to withstand a Category 4 

hurricane, and these stations include a full suite of meteorological sensors. 

Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®). PORTS® is a decision support tool 

which improves the safety and efficiency of maritime commerce and coastal resource 

management through the integration of real-time environmental observations, forecasts, and 

other geospatial information. PORTS® measures and disseminates observations and predictions 

of water levels, currents, salinity, bridge air gap and many meteorological parameters, needed 

and requested by the mariner to navigate safely. There are 22 existing PORTS® systems that 

comprise a total of 84 PORTS® water level stations. Currently, 66 of these stations contain at 

least one meteorological sensor (anemometer, barometer, air temperature sensor or a visibility 

sensor). In FY14, two new PORTS® are being planned in Jacksonville, FL, Matagorda Bay, TX. 

Of the two new PORTS® only Jacksonville will be adding new meteorological sensors. 

The PORTS® systems come in a variety of sizes and configurations, each specifically designed 

to meet local user requirements. PORTS® is a partnership program in which local operating 

partners fund the installation and operation of the measurement systems. The largest of NOS' 

existing installations is composed of over 100 separate instruments. The smallest consists of a 

single water level gauge and associated oceanographic and meteorological instruments. 

Regardless of its size, each PORTS® installation provides information that allows shippers and 

port operators to maximize port throughput while maintaining an adequate margin of safety for 

Visibility station in Mobile, AL used to determine 

fog. Photo credit: NOS 
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the increasingly large vessels visiting United States ports. In addition, prevention of maritime 

accidents is the most cost effective measure that can be taken to protect fragile coastal 

ecosystems. One major oil spill can cost billions of dollars and destroy sensitive marine habitats 

critical to supporting coastal marine ecosystems. PORTS® provides information to make 

navigation safer, thus reducing the likelihood of a maritime accident, and also provides the 

information necessary to mitigate the damages from a spill, should one occur. An extensible 

PORTS® can be integrated with other marine transportation technologies such as the Coast 

Guard’s Automated Identification System AIS, Electronic Chart Display Information Systems 

ECDIS, and Vessel Traffic Systems VTS. Visibility sensors are the most recent sensor type to be 

integrated into the PORTS® systems, and there are currently two visibility stations installed in 

Mobile Bay PORTS and one in the San Francisco PORTS®. More visibility installations are 

planned for Narragansett Bay and Chesapeake Bay PORTS® in FY13/14. 

National Operational Coastal Modeling Program (NOCMP). NOCMP serves a variety of users 

with oceanographic nowcast and forecast products for ports, estuaries and the Great Lakes. The 

integration of PORTS® technology and numerical circulation models allows nowcasts and 

predictions of up to five parameters (water level, current speed and direction, winds, water 

temperature and salinity) within the boundaries of the twelve models at locations where physical 

measurements are not available. In FY13 a new model in San Francisco Bay was developed and 

tested and the development of nested grid models in Mobile, Gulfport and Pascagoula to enhance 

the Northern Gulf of Mexico model. Implementation of these models are scheduled for FY 14. 

Ongoing developments will enable the operational forecast systems to incorporate ecological 

forecast models and integrate the output with circulation measurements to provide information 

on transports of materials in the ecosystem essential for effective marine resource management 

and homeland security. Developed in FY13, model information is now automatically formatted 

into SHEF bulletin format for inclusion into the NOAA AWIPS system. 

The NOS Continuous Real-Time Monitoring System (CORMS). CORMS was designed to 

operate on a 24 x 7 basis to ensure the accuracy and working status of oceanographic and 

meteorological observations acquired via the NWLON and PORTS® programs. CORMS 

improves the overall data quality assurance of real-time measurements, reduces NOAA's 

potential liability by not publicly disseminating inadequate data, and makes the observations 

more useful for all applications. CORMS ingests real-time data from all field sensors and 

systems, including the operational nowcast/forecast models, determines data quality, and 

identifies and communicates the presence of invalid or suspect data to real-time users/customers 

who rely on the data. CORMS is especially vigilant during storm and tsunami events to ensure 

the full set of products and services is being disseminated in a timely fashion. An advanced 

version of this system, CORMS 3, provides personnel with alerts as soon as any sensor data are 

suspect or any communications problems arise. This enables speedier communication to 

instrument labs and field crews who may fix the station remotely or initiate emergency 

maintenance, thereby decreasing downtime of a particular station or sensor. In FY12, new 

enhancements to render internal reports on station statistics and tighter quality control threshold 

values used to flag questionable data we added. 
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U.S. Coast Guard 

Although no Coast Guard cutters or shore units are solely dedicated to meteorology, they 

collectively perform a variety of functions in support of the national meteorology program. 

USCG ocean-going cutters and coastal stations provide weather observations to the NWS. Coast 

Guard communications stations broadcast NWS marine forecasts, weather warnings, and weather 

facsimile charts. They also collect weather observations from commercial shipping for the NWS. 

USCG conducts the International Ice Patrol (IIP) under the provisions of the International 

Convention for Safety of Life at Sea. The IIP uses sensor-equipped aircraft to patrol the Grand 

Banks of Newfoundland to locate and track icebergs that pose a hazard to North Atlantic 

shipping. Direct observations are supplemented and extrapolated using a numerical iceberg drift 

and deterioration model. IIP determines the geographic limits of the iceberg hazard and, twice 

daily, broadcasts iceberg warning bulletins and ice facsimile charts which define the limits of the 

iceberg threat during the iceberg season (spring and summer). IIP annually archives data on all 

confirmed and suspected icebergs, and forwards these data to the National Snow and Ice Data 

Center. These data can be accessed via the IIP web page, 

www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=IIPHome. Archived data contains all iceberg sighting data 

along with the last model-predicted position of each berg. 

The Coast Guard participates with the Navy and NOAA in supporting the National Ice Center, a 

multi-agency operational center that produces analyses and forecasts of Arctic, Antarctic, Great 

Lakes, and coastal ice conditions. The Coast Guard also collaborates with NOAA in operating 

the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) which deploys and maintains NOAA’s automated 

network of environmental monitoring platforms in the deep ocean and coastal regions. Five 

Coast Guard personnel fill key technical and logistics support positions within the NDBC. Coast 

Guard cutters support the heavy lift deployment and retrieval of data buoys and provide periodic 

maintenance visits to both buoys and coastal stations, expending approximately 180 cutter days 

annually. Coast Guard aircraft, small boats, and shore facilities also provide direct NDBC 

support. 

Meteorological activities are coordinated by the Office of Marine Transportation Systems at 

Coast Guard Headquarters. Field management of Coast Guard meteorological support services is 

performed at the Coast Guard Area and District levels. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

DOT/Federal Highway Administration 

Road Weather Management Program 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) coordinates a number of research and 

development activities aimed at improving safety, mobility, environmental quality, and national 

security on the nation's highways. These activities include identification and mitigation of 

weather impacts on the roadway environment. The FHWA does not operate either the highway 

or their supporting weather systems but seeks to improve operations in partnership with other 
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public agencies (primarily State Departments of Transportation), national laboratories, private 

firms, and universities across the transportation and meteorological communities. Since 1999, 

FHWA's weather-related research activities have been centered in the Road Weather 

Management Program (RWMP) within the Office of Transportation Operations in coordination 

with the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office, which is housed in the 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). 

The goals of the RWMP are limited but span many areas to include: improving understanding of 

weather impacts on highway transportation systems, demonstrating a nation-wide system for 

observed road weather data, research new environmental data sources, enhancing road weather 

(e.g. pavement temperature) and traffic modeling with weather inputs, enhancing mechanisms 

for communicating road weather information to users, and developing decision support tools. For 

FY2013─ FY2014, RWMP major research projects include expanded road weather observed 

data management and decision support applications, weather and road data from vehicles or 

mobile devices (mobile data), and weather-responsive traffic management. 

Road Weather Observing, Data Collection and Management – The Clarus System 

Known as Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS), the standard method for observing road weather 

conditions is with fixed sensors near and/or actually embedded in the road surface that report 

common atmospheric weather variables plus pavement and subsurface road temperature, road 

wetness and pavement chemical concentration. Owned and operated by state, provincial or local 

transportation agencies, nearly 2,500 ESS are deployed across North America and together 

comprise one of the largest weather observing networks. 

Since 2006, a U.S. DOTsponsored experimental 

system entitled Clarus

(http://www.clarussystem.com/) has been 

collecting, formatting, quality 

checking, and displaying ESS 

road weather data from across 

North America. (Clarus Status 

Map) This "one-stop-shop" 

makes observed road weather 

more effectively shared by 

members of both the weather 

and the transportation 

communities. The Clarus

Initiative has been a successful 

research effort of the Road 

Weather Management 

Program. In 2004, the 

Program framed the initiative around four goals (see http://www.its.dot.gov/clarus/), and each 

has been met. Therefore, the Clarus System has officially been decommissioned on June 15, 

2013. However, the operational capability of the Clarus System is currently being transitioned to 
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the NWS. FHWA and NWS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in November 2010 

to establish a framework for cooperation and coordination for projects like the Clarus transition 

to operations. In FY2011, NWS and FHWA completed a system and requirements comparison of 

the Clarus System versus NOAA’s Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS). 

In FY 2013, these agencies have been collaborating to develop and execute a transition plan. An 

important area of current research for both agencies is the gathering of weather and road data 

from vehicles. 

Recognizing the continued need for road weather observations in order to execute the RWMP 

research, the Program has a new project called the Weather Data Environment (WxDE). The 

primary purpose of the WxDE is to provide a data and interoperability platform for supporting 

connected vehicle research. In particular, the WxDE will support the intelligent aggregation, 

normalization, warehousing, processing, and dissemination of road weather data gathered from a 

variety of fixed and mobile sources.

USDOT Connected Vehicle Research – Vehicle Weather Observations 

Connected Vehicles Research is a multimodal initiative that aims to enable safe, interoperable 

networked wireless communications among vehicles, the transportation infrastructure, and 

personal communication devices.1

 This research aims to leverage the potentially transformative 

capabilities of wireless technology to gather much more system data ultimately making surface 

transportation safer, smarter, and greener. Far beyond reliance on fixed or passive sensors, this 

emerging mobile technology has the potential to provide more extensive real-time travel and 

weather information to both the public sector and private industry. 

Because vehicles were not designed as weather stations, direct weather sensor readings from 

original vehicle equipment are limited to mostly air temperature and pressure, but when 

combined with other vehicle data they could prove useful. Some of the inferred weather 

variables from vehicle data are precipitation rate, visibility, and road surface condition. The 

RWMP is currently working on a Vehicle Data Translator to process weather-related data from 

cars and trucks in order to better characterize the driving conditions along standard distance (e.g. 

one mile) or user-defined road segments. 

In partnership with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the states of 

Nevada, Michigan, and Minnesota, the FHWA began an expanded project in FY 2013 to 

demonstrate how data already resident on state fleet vehicles may be collected, processed, 

transmitted and used for providing motorist advisory warnings and enhancing maintenance 

decision support systems. The project will help determine requirements, standards, and 

procedures for the collection and processing of weather, road condition, and vehicle status 

variables from mobile sources. Mobile weather and road condition data will also be integrated 

into the Clarus System. The vision is for both public and private decision-makers to have the 

benefit of decision support tools that are supported by data from millions of vehicles through the 

connected vehicle initiative. 

 

 

1

 See http://www.its.dot.gov/connected_vehicle/connected_vehicle.htm. 
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Road Weather Information Applications 

The RWMP has identified six high-priority connected vehicle road weather applications for 

research. The applications are summarized as follows: 

 Enhanced Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS). The MDSS will provide 

the existing federal prototype MDSS with expanded data acquisition from connected 

vehicles. Snowplows, agency fleet vehicles, and other vehicles operated by the general 

public will provide road weather connected vehicle data to the Enhanced-MDSS, which 

will use this data to generate improved plans and recommendations to maintenance 

personnel. In turn, enhanced treatment plans and recommendations will be provided to 

the snowplow operators and drivers of agency maintenance vehicles. 

 Information for Maintenance and Fleet Management Systems. In this concept, 

connected vehicle information is more concerned with non-road weather data. The data 

collected may include powertrain diagnostic information from maintenance and specialty 

vehicles, the status of vehicle components, the current location of maintenance vehicles 

and other equipment, and the types and amounts of materials onboard maintenance 

vehicles and will be used to automate the inputs to Maintenance and Fleet Management 

Systems on a year-round basis. In addition, desirable synergies can be achieved if 

selected data relating to winter maintenance activities, such as the location and status of 

snowplows or the location and availability of deicing chemicals, can be passed to an 

Enhanced-MDSS to refine the recommended winter weather response plans and 

treatment strategies. 

 Weather-Responsive Traffic Management. Two Weather-Responsive Traffic 

Management applications are developed. First, connected vehicle systems (CVS) provide 

opportunities to enhance the operation of variable speed limit (VSL) systems and 

dramatically improve work zone safety during severe weather events. Additional road 

weather information can be gathered from connected vehicles and used in algorithms to 

refine the posted speed limits to reflect prevailing weather and road conditions. Second, 

CVSs can support the effective operation of signalized intersections when severe weather 

affects road conditions. Information from connected vehicles can be used to adjust timing 

intervals in a signal cycle or to select special signal timing plans that are most appropriate 

for the prevailing conditions. 

 Motorist Advisories and Warnings. Information on segment-specific weather and road 

conditions is not broadly available, even though surveys suggest that this information is 

considered of significant importance to travelers. The ability to gather road weather 

information from connected vehicles will dramatically change this situation. Information 

on deteriorating road and weather conditions on specific roadway segments can be 

pushed to travelers through a variety of means as alerts and advisories within a few 

minutes. In combination with observations and forecasts from other sources and with 
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additional processing, medium-term advisories of the next 2–12 hours to long-term 

advisories for more than 12 hours into the future can also be provided to motorists. 

 Information for Freight Carriers. The ability to gather road weather information from 

connected vehicles will significantly improve the ability of freight shippers to plan and 

respond to the impacts of severe weather events and poor road conditions. Information on 

deteriorating road and weather conditions on specific roadway segments can be pushed to 

both truck drivers and their dispatchers. In combination with observations and forecasts 

from other sources and with additional processing, medium- to long-term advisories can 

also be provided to dispatchers to support routing and scheduling decisions. Because 

these decisions involve a variety of other factors, such as highway and bridge restrictions, 

hours-of-service limitations, parking availability, delivery schedules, and—in some 

instances—the permits the vehicle holds, it is envisioned that the motor carrier firms or 

their commercial service providers will develop and operate the systems that use the road 

weather information generated through this concept. 

 Information and Routing Support for Emergency Responders. Emergency 

responders, including ambulance operators, paramedics, and fire and rescue 

organizations, have a compelling need for the short, medium, and long time horizon road 

weather alerts and warnings. This information can help drivers safely operate their 

vehicles during severe weather events and under deteriorating road conditions. 

Emergency responders also have a particular need for information that affects their 

dispatching and routing decisions. Information on weather-affected travel routes, 

especially road or lane closures caused by snow, flooding, and wind-blown debris, is 

particularly important. Low latency road weather information from connected vehicles 

for specific roadway segments together with information from other surface weather 

observation systems, such as flooding and high winds, will be used to determine response 

routes, calculate response times, and influence decisions to hand off an emergency call 

from one responder to another responder in a different location 

Weather Support for Traffic Managers 

Unlike the national aviation system which has been a heavy user of weather information for 

decades, ground traffic management centers have been slow to integrate weather information 

into their operations. Since 2006, the RWMP focused a series of research projects on WeatherResponsive Traffic Management (WRTM) specifically addressing four areas: data collection and 

integration, human factors, WRTM strategies, and traffic analysis and modeling. 

Initial research has been completed in many areas such as driver behavior in inclement weather; 

traffic speed and volume adjustment guidelines for various precipitation and visibility 

conditions; WRTM state of the practice review of management strategies; test and evaluation of 

those strategies; and message guidance for road weather advisory and control information. 
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Only until the last few years have traffic models incorporated weather data or the effects of 

weather. The RWMP completed research on the integration of weather into several traffic 

models including dynamic traffic prediction and assignment systems. In FY 2013, deployment 

began on a limited basis in some US cities. Research is also being conducted on the use of 

mobile weather data for traffic management. 

The FHWA will continue participation in several OFCM projects including the WIST Working 

Group and the Committee on Integrated Observing Systems (CIOS), among others. The FHWA 

is also participating in NOAA efforts to explore the development of a national mesonet system, 

and is leading the Department’s effort regarding the transportation Societal Benefit Areas of the 

National Earth Observations assessment. Nearing the end of several research projects on data 

management and applications, the RWMP has begun to look at other problem areas and update 

the program’s research agenda. For example, research has begun on the impact of weather on 

trucking, especially in the area of delay costs. The RWMP looks forward to building on past 

successes and partnering with organizations that share the same passion for reducing the impact 

of weather on the nation’s surface transportation systems. 

DOT/Federal Railroad Administration 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has outlined plans to support research on improving 

the collection, dissemination, and application of weather data to enhance railroad safety through 

its Intelligent Weather Systems project included in the FRA’s 5-year Research and Development 

Strategic Plan. These programs address safety issues for freight, commuter, intercity passenger, 

and high-speed passenger railroads. Intelligent weather systems for railroad operations consist of 

networks of local weather sensors and instrumentation—both wayside and onboard 

locomotives—combined with national, regional, and local forecast data to alert train control 

centers, train crews, and maintenance crews of actual or potential hazardous weather conditions. 

FRA intends to examine ways that weather data can be collected on railroads and moved to 

forecasters, and ways that forecasts and current weather information can be moved to railroad 

control centers and train and maintenance crews to avoid potential accident situations. This is 

one of the partnership initiatives identified in the National Science and Technology Council’s 

National Transportation Technology Plan. 

Operationally, the FRA relies on the meteorological data streams coming for the National 

Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center when issuance of regulatory waivers to railroads 

during times of severe weather is necessary. 

NOAA/National Ocean Service 

Marine Transportation Research 

Ocean Systems Test and Evaluation Program (OSTEP). OSTEP facilitates the transition of new 

oceanographic and meteorological sensors and systems to an operational status, in support of the 

NWLON and PORTS® programs. OSTEP tests instruments to ensure that they meet NOS 

requirements, develops operational deployment and implementation processes, and establishes 

quality-control criteria. OSTEP also develops defensible justification for the selection of 

instruments used for CO-OPS installations, and subsequent validation procedures for the devices 
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traceable to U.S. National Standards or other accepted standards. Ongoing testing will reveal 

correlations of visibility data to other meteorological data types, and will result in a possible 

change in the standard sensor configuration of PORTS® visibility stations. 
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 Wildland Fire Weather Services 

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WILDLAND FIRE WEATHER SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

Fire Weather Services in the National Coordination Structure for Wildland Fire 

Management 

Just as the service category for aviation weather derives from the need to understand and prepare 

for the influences of weather and other atmospheric conditions on the activity of flying aircraft, 

wildland fire weather services are needed to understand and predict the influences of weather and 

other atmospheric conditions on fire in the environment, particularly with the objective of 

assisting in the activity of managing and controlling such fires. Wildland fire weather services 

are therefore an integral part of the larger activity of wildland fire management. 

National Wildfire Coordinating Group 

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) is a collaborative group of partners with a 

shared vision and national responsibilities for wildland fire management. Each with individual 

missions, they focus on firefighter and public safety by improving coordination and integration 

through sharing talents, information, and resources. The NWCG provides leadership to the 

wildland fire community regarding training, standards, equipment, firefighting qualifications, 

and other wildland fire functions. The NWCG ensures that member agency efforts are consistent 

and coordinated while working collaboratively toward common goals. The Executive Board of 

the NWCG includes the Fire Directors of the five Federal wildland fire management agencies: 

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Fish and Wildlife 

Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS) in the U.S. Department of the Interior and the 

U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in the Department of Agriculture. The Executive Board also includes 

representatives from the U.S. Fire Administration within the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, Department of Homeland Security, USFS Research, and two entities with responsibility 

for wildfire management on non-Federal forest lands: the National Association of State Foresters 

and the Intertribal Timber Council. There are two levels of oversight and policy 

coordination/strategic direction above the NWCG: the Wildland Fire Leadership Council at the 

most senior Federal agency level (directors of the wildland management agencies) and the 

Wildland Fire Executive Council (WFEC) for executives of offices directly responsible for 

wildland fire management. 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Wildland Fire Weather Services are those specialized meteorological 

services and facilities established to meet the requirements of the wildfire management community at the 

Federal, state, tribal, and local levels. The primary areas of service are to support the reduction of wildfire 

initiation potential and the mitigation of both human and environmental impacts once initiation does 

occur. Services can include support to first responders and land managers and climate services tailored to 

wildland fire management. 
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The NWCG is organized into four branches. There are fourteen committees and numerous 

subgroups within the branches, representing the many business areas of wildland fire (such as 

aviation, equipment, fuels, qualifications). The NWCG committee most directly and frequently 

involved with capabilities for informing the wildland fire community about fire weather is the 

Fire Environment Committee (FENC) in the Equipment and Technology Branch. This 

Committee has chartered several permanent subcommittees: 

 The Fire Weather Subcommittee (FWS) maintains the Interagency Wildland Fire Weather 

Station Standards and Guidelines, which addresses the network of permanently located 

Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS), portable stations used for incident response 

and prescribed fire, and manual fire weather stations. The Fire Environment Observation 

Unit under the FWS consists of the agency RAWS program managers who maintain the 

network of 2200 stations for their wildland fire agencies. 

 The Fire Danger Subcommittee provides interagency direction to the Forest Service for the 

National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) – a strategic planning tool - and its national 

processor, the Weather Information Management System (WIMS). RAWS and manual 

station observations are key weather inputs to the NFDRS in WIMS. 

 The Fire Behavior Subcommittee provides interagency guidance for the use of fire weather 

observations for determining fire behavior predictions from a variety of tactical applications. 

These predictions include the work of the Fire Behavior Analyst working closely with the 

Incident Meteorologist (IMET) on fire incidents. 

 The National Predictive Services Subcommittee oversees and provides guidance to the 

Predictive Services Program, which provides an important range of fire weather capabilities 

to the wildland fire community through the Predictive Services Units discussed below. In 

2012, the FENC developed guidance released by the Executive Board on management of the 

RAWS network: http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/426/index.htm. The RAWS network is 

generally located in remote areas. RAWS observations fill a critical spatial gap in the 

initialization of the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD). 

National Interagency 

Fire Center 

The National Interagency Fire 

Center (NIFC), located in Boise, 

Idaho, is the Nation's support 

center for wildland firefighting. 

Eight different agencies and 

organizations are part of NIFC: 

the five wildland management 

agencies, the National Weather 

Service (NWS) in the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), the 

National Association of State 

Foresters, and the U.S. Fire 

Administration. Decisions are 

Entrance to the NIFC in Boise, showing the logos of the 

participating Federal agencies and the National Association of 

State Foresters.
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made using the interagency cooperation concept because NIFC has no single director or 

manager. 

The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), located at the NIFC, coordinates the 

national mobilization of resources for wildland fire and other incidents throughout the United 

States. Wildfire suppression is built on a three-tiered system of support: the local area, one of the 

11 geographic areas, and finally, the national level. When a fire is reported, the local agency and 

its firefighting partners respond. If the fire continues to grow, the agency can ask for help from 

its Geographic Area Coordinating Center (GACC). When a geographic area has exhausted all its 

resources, it can turn to the NICC for help in locating what is needed, from air tankers to radios 

to firefighting crews to incident management teams. 

National Predictive Services Program 

Under the Predictive Services Program, meteorologists who specialize in fire weather services 

team with intelligence specialists and wildland fire analysts at the GACCs and the NICC to form 

Predictive Services Units. Each GACC and the NICC has a Predictive Services unit staffed with 

one or two meteorologists and an intelligence specialist. The NICC unit and Pacific Northwest 

GACC include a wildland fire analyst, and some of the GACC units add a fire behavior specialist 

during fire season. The Predictive Services units act as centers of expertise to produce integrated 

planning and decision support tools that enable more proactive, safe, and cost-effective fire 

management. The Predictive Services Program functions under the guidance of the National 

Predictive Services Subcommittee of the NWCG. 

NOAA/National Weather Service 

The National Weather Service (NWS) Fire Weather Services support Federal, state, and local 

land management, supporting partners such as the Department of Interior and the Department of 

Agriculture. On the national level, the Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services 

(OCWWS) directly supports tactical and strategic operations at NIFC. Also nationally, the NWS 

Storm Prediction Center issues assessments in advance of the development of critical fire 

weather patterns up to 8 days in advance. NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) also issue a 

complete Fire Weather Forecast twice daily, with updates as needed. The forecast contains 

weather information relevant to fire control and smoke management for the next 36-48 hours. 

The appropriate dispatch zones and crews use this information to plan staffing levels, equipment 

placement, prescribed burn conditions, and to assess the daily fire danger. Once per day, NWS 

meteorologists issue forecasts for specific wildland observation sites for input into the National 

Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). NFDRS determines land use restrictions and informs the 

public of the daily fire danger via the Smokey Bear awareness campaign. The WFOs also 

determine if a Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning needs to be issued. These products 

alert the public and other agencies that conditions are creating the potential for weather 

conditions creating extreme fire behavior. Finally, on a request basis, NWS forecasters issue 

spot forecasts for specific fire incidents, prescribed burn projects or other all-hazard incidents. 

Upon request, NWS also provides on-scene assistance at large wildfires or other disasters, 

including HAZMAT incidents, by deploying Incident Meteorologists (IMET) to work with 

Incident Management Teams. These forecasters come from many different WFOs of all major 
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NWS regions and, in some cases, support incidents more than a thousand miles from their home 

station. IMETs travel quickly to the incident site and then assemble a mobile weather center 

capable of providing continuous meteorological support for the duration of the incident. They 

gather other weather information through a remote connection and provide stand-up and on-thespot forecasts/analysis to firefighters and agency heads. The IMET program is coordinated and 

implemented nationally by the National Fire Weather Operations Coordinator, National Science 

and Dissemination Meteorologist, and the National Fire Weather Program Manager, located at 

the NIFC. 

The NWS has implemented regional digital weather files to complement currently-provided spot 

forecasts. The weather output enables Fire Behavior Analysts to directly input gridded weather 

data into fire danger assessments. These improvements are particularly important near zones 

where planned communities meet the wildland forests (known as the Wildland-Urban Interface 

or WUI). Recent improvements also include the creation of two fire weather specific gridded 

weather elements, an improved spot forecast program with access to smoke trajectory modeling. 

In addition NOAA and the USFS signed a fire weather research MOU that serves to coordinate 

applied fire weather research among the two agencies. Finally, the NWS renewed the 

Interagency Agreement for Meteorological Services with land management Agency Federal 

partners in September of 2012. The Agreement is valid through September 2017. NWS will 

continue excellent interagency relations with the wildland fire community through 

implementation of a new Interagency Agreement for Meteorological Services. 

USDA/U.S. Forest Service 

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) uses meteorological data and interpretation skills data for 

decision making regarding wildland fire management. The Forest Service Fire and Aviation 

Management program operates a network of approximately 940 remote automated weather 

stations (RAWS) in a national network of over 2200 stations. The network provides real-time 

information which is key in the highly utilized Weather Information Management System 

(WIMS) used by fire agencies across the country. The data collected is crucial to supporting 

active wildfire decision-making including use in the Wildland Fire Decision Support System and 

associated fire modeling tools as well as for decision-making for prescribed fire operations 

The program provides liaison with the Satellite Telemetry Interagency Working Group (STIWG) 

and its associated Technical Working Group and with the NWS, the wildland fire management 

agencies in the Department of the Interior (BLM, FWS, BIA, and NPS), State fire protection 

agencies, and the NWCG on the delivery of fire weather data and forecasting, critical for safety 

and effectiveness of firefighting and for flash flood warnings. The Forest Service RAWS 

Program manages the Interagency RAWS Website to support the program. The website address 

is http://raws.fam.nwcg.gov/. These stations form the basis for the assessment of fire danger, the 

pre-positioning of firefighting resources, and the conducting of prescribed fire operations. The 

costs include maintenance support contracts, maintenance training sessions, contracts for the 

delivery of this information to agency personnel, fire weather forecasters, and state forestry 

agencies that use the data in real-time for critical decisions. 
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The agency weather program works with the 

National Predictive Services Group at the NIFC to 

provide technical support and oversight to the 11 

GACCs. It also works closely with the Forest 

Service Research and Development staff in the 

oversight of the five Fire Consortia for Advanced 

Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS) 

locations. This effort, in cooperation with NOAA 

and EPA, provides valuable fire weather, smoke 

forecasting and air quality information to fire and air 

quality programs. The FCAMMS and Predictive 

Services Group provide critical information for both 

planning of wildland fire activities as well as 

operational decision-making. 

The Wildland Fire Decision Support System 

(WFDSS) integrates emerging science and 

technology in support of risk-informed decision 

making. It is a web-based system for documenting 

decisions, supporting analyses, and completing 

operational plans applicable to and used for all 

wildland fires. It promotes access to numerous 

information analysis tools in the areas of fire 

behavior modeling, fire weather information, 

economic principles, air quality and smoke 

management, and information technology to support 

effective wildland fire decisions consistent with Land and Resource Management Plans and Fire 

Management Plans. The WFDSS greatly reduces text input requirements by using spatially 

oriented and graphically displayed information. The system incorporates a progressive decision 

documentation and analysis process that can be scaled and adapted to match situational changes. 

Through WFDSS, information is assembled, consolidated, and processed for decision makers in 

a way that fosters collaboration and, ultimately, provides better opportunities to improve large 

wildland fire strategic decision making. 

U.S. Geological Survey 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the USFS, routinely provides weekly 

forecasts of fire danger for the conterminous US and provides these forecasts to the National 

Interagency Fire Center. The forecasts are derived from an integration of vegetation condition 

observed from satellite and meteorological forecasts provided from the NWS’s National Digital 

Forecast Database (NDFD). The NDFD forecasts provide meteorological information necessary 

for the calculation of live and dead fuel moisture, a critical element in determining wildland fire 

danger. 

For active fire, the Basic Fire Behavior and Short-Term Fire Behavior components of the 

WFDSS use forecasted weather from the NDFD. NDFD incorporates Remote Access Weather 

Wildland fires in the wildland-urban 

interface are a continuing threat to 

lives and property. 
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Station location to derive forecasted weather data. This forecast information, along with 

geospatial data provide by the USGS are used to derive live and dead fuel moisture 

characteristics and wind conditions to aid in the prediction of fire behavior. 

Landslides Hazards Program. Debris flows and flash floods that originate from steep 

watersheds burned by wildfire pose considerable hazards to downstream communities and 

structures. Fires throughout the western U.S. have impacted hundreds of thousands of acres of 

public land and made it susceptible to increased runoff and debris-flow activity. Science-based 

information on post wildfire debris-flow hazards is critically needed by Federal, State, and local 

agencies to issue warnings and to mitigate the impacts of post-fire hazards on people, their 

property, and natural resources. A joint NOAA/USGS, flash flood and debris flow warning 

system for recently burned basins in southern California was established in 2005 by linking the 

existing NWS Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction (FFMP) system with rainfall intensityduration thresholds for burned areas developed by the USGS. Such a system is being used to 

issue Outlooks, Watches and Warnings that are disseminated to emergency-management 

personnel and the public through the NWS existing protocol. The USGS has also developed 

models for characterizing potential post-fire debris flow susceptibility that, when compared with 

forecast or measured precipitation, have been used to generate maps of potential hazards in realtime, which have been disseminated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

and the public through existing NWS protocol. The USGS has also developed models for 

characterizing potential post-fire debris flow susceptibility that, when compared with forecast or 

measured precipitation, have been used to generate maps of potential hazards in real- time, which 

have been disseminated to FEMA and to State and local agencies. Since its inception, numerous 

advisories have been given to residents and public officials, resulting in saved lives and reduced 

property damage. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

USDA/U.S. Forest Service 

The research and development (R&D) mission of the USFS is to develop and deliver knowledge 

and innovative technology to improve the health and use of the Nation’s forests and grasslands—

both public and private. R&D provides this information to landowners, managers, policymakers, 

and the American people to help inform their decisions and actions. USFS researchers work 

independently and with a range of partners to provide land managers with information and 

technology to make management and land use decisions on issues such as invasive species, 

healthy watersheds, wildfires, climate change, and traditional and alternative forest products. The 

USFS R&D workforce includes scientists and technicians in the biological, physical, and social 

science fields, working in partnership with researchers from other agencies, academia, nonprofit 

groups, and industry. 

Air pollution effects (primarily nitrogen and sulfur deposition and ozone) remain a serious threat 

to forest health and aquatic systems in many parts of the U.S. Forest Service Research (FSR) is 

studying the long-term effects of air pollution on forests and water resources of the Sierra 

Nevada, Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the Appalachian Ridge in the east, and Cascades of the 

Pacific Northwest. Nitrogen and sulfur atmospheric deposition have been studied for many years 

in eastern forest watersheds, but these areas have only recently been studied. FSR has completed, 
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in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NPS, National Forest 

System Air Program, and the European Union International Co-operative Programme on 

Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests, a mock national assessment of 

critical loads of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems known to be sensitive to air pollution. 

Based on this experience FSR is working closely with other USFS collaborators and academic 

institutions to assess the uncertainty of these critical load measurements and to determine gaps in 

available data. 

Smoke from forest fires and other biomass burning is a national concern as use of prescribed fire 

in ecosystem management increases. Exposure of fire fighters and citizens to forest fire smoke, 

changes in visibility and haze, and smoke contributions to regional and local air pollution are of 

concern. FSR is the world leader in developing emissions factors from fires and modeling its 

dispersion. FSR has conducted research on impacts of smoke on human health; relationships 

between on-site meteorology and smoke dispersion; consequences of smoke to visibility in Clean 

Air Act Class I Areas; the chemical nature of black carbon emissions from fire, and the potential 

of smoke to exacerbate particulate matter and ozone episodes. FSR has provided basic research 

to support State air regulatory programs and EPA’s development of both primary and soon to 

come secondary air quality standards. Through FCAMMS, real-time smoke and fire weather 

research products are supplied nationally to fire and air quality managers continuously with 

predictions of impacts made out to 7 days in the future. A key development in smoke and fire 

weather research products is the development of the WFDSS Air Quality Portal, which provides 

access to historic, real-time and forecasted air quality and meteorological information using a 

stand-alone web portal. Eight air quality and emissions tools provide information about the 

current smoke situation, climatological statistics, and weather forecasts. Five tools are available 

for immediate and short term smoke assessments. Two smoke guidance tools provide firespecific tabular point forecasts and regional maps of air quality metrics.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) supports innovative, near-term 

demonstrations of its scientific results, technology developments, and satellite observations for 

societal benefit. These projects serve as a bridge between NASA-generated data, derived 

products, information, knowledge and the decision-making needs of public and private 

organizations. End-users of NASA’s products are able to apply Earth observations and model 

results to support activities that influence productivity, enhance quality of life, and strengthen the 

economy. 

Wildfire Applications: New Opportunities. In FY 2013, the NASA Earth Science Division, 

Applied Sciences Program supported seventeen (17) new peer-reviewed proposals under the 

agency’s solicitation (NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science 2011 (ROSES11) A.35 Earth Science Applications: Wildland Fires) focused on the application of Earth 

observations and models to improve and support wildland fire management strategies and 

actions, business practices, and issues. During the year, those projects entered their Phase 1 

Feasibility stage, with the objectives of maturing partnership arrangements with wildfire 

management entities and development of technology-readiness assessments of current research 

into operational use. The projects focused on multidisciplinary topics of health and air quality, 

ecological forecasting, water resources, disasters, and climate (as related to wildfires), and 
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addressed all stages of wildfire activities (pre-fire, active-fire, and post-fire assessment). 

Following the Phase I (Feasibility) project evaluations in FY 2013 and early FY 2014, selected 

proposals will be awarded a Phase II (Decision Support) stage with the focus on transitioning the 

improved information, models, and data utility into operational use by the wildfire community. 

Wildfire Partnership. In FY 2013, NASA continued collaborations with the United States Forest 

Service (USFS), National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), California Department of Forestry 

and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), other agencies, universities and practitioners in the Wildfire 

Research and Applications Partnership (WRAP) project. The WRAP project, a long-term 

partnership, explores the development, sharing and applications of technologies related to 

improving wildfire information collection, analysis and use. The WRAP “consortium” meets 

twice yearly in workshop structure to share technologies as disparate as: unmanned aircraft 

systems (UAS) use as tactical wildfire observation platforms, improved sensors in 

government/industry development, small satellite applications in support of wildfire 

observations, current research on fire behavior modeling, and building project teams to support 

various fire observation field campaigns/experiments. With the recent NASA (ROSES-11 A.35 

Applications: Wildland Fire Phase-1) projects awarded, the WRAP project has added a new 

dimension to its charter: to integrate, assist, and expose those project efforts to the current 

wildfire practitioner community. In April 2013, the semi-annual WRAP project workshop 

additionally focused on transitioning the NASA Autonomous Modular Sensor (AMS) airborne 

imaging spectrometer, and associated sensor operations capabilities to operational use on the 

NIFC, National Infrared Operations (NIROPS) Citation jet aircraft. The first fully operational 

missions of the AMS, now in service by the USFS, were flown in mid-April 2013. The sensor 

will continue to support national needs assessments for wildfires during the FY 2013 fire season. 

The AMS will augment capabilities of the wildfire management community, and allow the NIFC 

to maintain 24/7 imaging capabilities during peak fire seasons, when their other assets are oversubscribed in their support to emergency situations. 

In FY 2014, NASA will be continuing the Wildfire proposal projects, with some early 

“operational” adaptations expected. Also in FY 2014, the WRAP project will continue their 

series of workshops and meetings (November 2013), to share the current technology capabilities 

of derived research and developments performed for the agency. The WRAP project will also be 

involved in wildfire field measurement campaigns to improve understanding of wildfire 

dynamics, energy, plume developments and air quality, in partnership with other federal 

agencies, universities and research organizations. 

Satellite Wildfire Observation. NASA, in partnership with the USFS-Remote Sensing 

Applications Center (USFS-RSAC) continues to provide daily wildfire occurrence information 

from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the Aqua and 

Terra satellites on an operational basis. Coverage over the entire United States, two to four-times 

a day, is processed and served at USFS and RSAC websites in near-real-time, allowing for a 

regional assessment of current fire activity and distribution. 
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OTHER SPECIALIZED SERVICES 

OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides operational weather 

support to spaceflight operations through the Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate (HEOMD). 

Kennedy Space Center Weather Office 

The HEOMD Weather Office at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSCWO) has oversight 

responsibility for operation and maintenance of the weather information infrastructure required 

for NASA’s manned spaceflight programs, and Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV) programs. 

The infrastructure is a multi-agency partnership between NASA, the Department of Defense 

(DOD), and the Department of Commerce (DOC), and includes KSCWO, NASA’s Marshall 

Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Johnson Space Center (JSC), the DOD’s US Air Force (USAF) 

30th and 45th Space Wings, and the DOC’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG). KSCWO 

also provides daily staff meteorological support to KSC and NASA programs operating from 

KSC or the Eastern Range. 

The ELV program operates from many locations, including CCAFS, Vandenberg AFB in 

California, NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and the US Army Ronald Reagan Ballistic 

Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Island. KSCWO ensures that DOD weather support at 

DOD sites meets NASA requirements through training, technology, and tools. The KSCWO 

works with non-DOD sites and their weather service providers (such as the NWS or commercial 

companies) to provide similar assurance at those sites for NASA launches. 

KSCWO is the NASA lead for the joint NASA and USAF Lightning Advisory Panel (LAP), 

which provides independent scientific assessments of changes to the lightning launch commit 

criteria (LLCC) and technical guidance about lightning-related issues on facilities and ground 

operations. The Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

utilizes the same criteria for lightning flight commit at commercial spaceports. 

For purposes of this Federal Plan, Other Specialized Services include weather and climate 

information services and facilities established to meet the special needs of user agencies or 

constituencies not included in basic services or the preceding service categories. This service category 

includes any efforts to integrate the social sciences into meteorological operations, applications, and 

services not already described in the preceding sections. 
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. 

In FY 2013, the KSCWO: 

 Supported Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement (T&R). 

 Supported the Tri-Program through infrastructure and requirements concept studies for 

the Space Launch System (SLS), Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), Ground Systems 

Development and Operations (GSDO), and Experimental Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). 

 Led the Weather Sub-Team of the joint NASA/Air Force Future State Definition study to 

define the architecture of the combined KSC/Eastern Range assets through 2025. 

 Supported NASA ELV launches from the Eastern and Western ranges as well as 

commercial and DOD launches from the Eastern Range. 

 Supported infrastructure and concept of operations development for commercial launch 

programs and the NASA launch facility at Wallops Island, VA. 

 Continued procurement of a replacement for the aging 50 MHz Doppler Radar Wind 

Profiler (DRWP) that supports all launches from KSC and the Eastern Range. 

 Installed a new “Lightning Mapping Array” sensor suite. 

 Continued assisting the FAA with the development of Lightning Flight Commit Criteria 

for the commercial sector. 

In FY 2014, the KSCWO will: 

 Continue to support the ELV program. 

 Continue to support Wallops Island, Kodiak, and other launch facilities in addition to the 

DOD ranges. 

 Continue to support commercial launch operators in developing weather infrastructure, 

requirements, and concepts of operation. 

 Continue assisting the FAA with the development of Lightning Flight Commit Criteria 

for the commercial sector. 

 Support the Tri-Program, and continue support for planning and design of the test flight 

programs. 

 Continue to work with the Eastern Range and other Ranges to define the requirements 

and infrastructure for weather support to NASA ELV and manned spacecraft in the postShuttle era. 

 Continue procurement of a replacement for the 50 MHz DRWP. 

Spaceflight Meteorology Group 

The SMG is located at JSC. In FY 2013, the SMG: 

 Operated with significantly reduced staff of 2 meteorologists. 
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 Provided several briefings to NASA management at Headquarters, Langley, Glenn, 

Goddard, Fairmont, Marshall, and Johnson on the forecast weather and impacts of 

Hurricane / Superstorm Sandy. 

 Provided consultation on the Orion/Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle program (MPCV), 

specifically Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) scheduled for September 2014. 

 Coordination with NCEP to obtain model upper air data archives, to assess (per NASA 

request) model forecast accuracy for the EFT-1 landing site off Baja. 

 Coordinated on options and recommendations for surface and upper air observing system 

for EFT-1. 

 Supported Orion parachute drop test events at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ with surface 

and upper wind forecasts. 

 Supported NASA with enroute forecasts for recovery personnel flying from Houston to 

Kazakhstan and back to Houston - to retrieve U.S. astronauts landing on the Russian 

Soyuz spacecraft after flying on the International Space Station. 

 Supported the JSC Morpheus Lander Project by providing forecasts and weather 

consultations for multiple Morpheus test firings at JSC in Houston. 

 Provided support for several large outdoor events at JSC. 

 Provided ongoing lightning and severe weather customized advisories for JSC 

management, weather sensitive operations, and employees. 

 Implemented AWIPS 2 - replacement for AWIPS 1. 

 Initiated an Excel-based forecast and verification database for the Orion landings. 

 Coordination with NWS, NASA, and DOC OGC on an updated MOU between NWS and 

NASA. 

 Implemented Excel-based tools to track SMG forecast issuances and decision support 

emails and briefings. 

 Participated in school outreach local schools and with schools across the U.S. via the JSC 

Educational Office Skype Studio. 

In FY 2014, SMG will: 

 Provide consultation on the Orion/Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle program (MPCV), 

specifically Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) scheduled for September 2014. 

 Provide support to the EFT-1 Underway Test scheduled for January 2014. 

 Provide weather decision support to the EFT-1 test scheduled for September 2014. 

 Support Orion parachute drop test events at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ with surface and 

upper wind forecasts. 
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 Support NASA with enroute forecasts for recovery personnel flying from Houston to 

Kazakhstan and back to Houston - to retrieve U.S. astronauts landing on the Russian 

Soyuz spacecraft after flying on the International Space Station. 

 Provide lightning and severe weather customized advisories for JSC management, 

weather sensitive operations, and employees. 

 Support the JSC Morpheus Lander Project by providing forecasts and weather 

consultations for multiple Morpheus test firings at JSC in Houston - pending new 

funding. 

 Provide weather support to large outdoor events at JSC. 

 Provide ongoing lightning, severe weather, and tropical storm/hurricane customized 

advisories for JSC management, weather sensitive operations, and employees. 

The Space Radiation Analysis Group 

The Space Radiation Analysis Group (SRAG) is located at JSC and is responsible for ensuring 

that the radiation exposure received by astronauts remains below established safety limits. SRAG 

is responsible for daily assessment of the space weather environment for human exploration, and 

works directly with flight control teams to assess real-time mission impacts of adverse space 

weather conditions. Some of the key space weather-related activities that SRAG is conducting in 

FY 2013 and FY 2014 include: 

 Daily monitoring of the space weather environment and impact assessment for manned 

missions. 

 Developing and maintaining protocols for radiation environment contingency response 

and analysis. 

 Operating instruments both internal and external to manned spacecraft for radiation 

environment characterization, quantification and impact assessment. 

 Building and processing of crew worn passive dosimeters and maintaining all crew 

radiation exposure records. 

 Design and Development of next generation radiation sensors that reduce mass, volume, 

and power without compromising data integrity. 

 Developing collaborations for maintaining necessary space radiation measurements for 

instruments operating beyond planned lifetimes. 

 Leading the development of space weather forecasting models. 

 Transitioning maturing space weather forecast models from research to operations. 

 Leading development of state-of-the-art radiation transport tools for vehicle design 

radiation analysis. 

 Implementing state-of-the art radiation risk models used to ensure astronauts are within 

lifetime career radiation risk limits. 
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 Providing annual, end-of-active service, and ad hoc astronaut radiation risk reports. 

Marshall Space Flight Center 

The Natural Environments Branch (NEB) develops and implements weather support 

requirements for the Space Launch System (SLS) and other programs, including development 

and evaluation of launch constraints. 

In FY 2013: 

 The NEB continued development of terrestrial environment specifications, and provided 

atmospheric data and models for vehicle design and operation for SLS and Multi-Purpose 

Crewed Vehicle (MPCV) programs. 

 The NEB began developing day-of-launch procedures relating to upper air wind and 

thermodynamic requirements for the SLS and MPCV programs. 

In FY 2014: 

 The NEB will continue to develop and improve atmospheric wind and thermodynamic 

climatological data sets and models for vehicle design and operational safety margin 

analysis for the SLS and MPCV programs. 

 The NEB will continue developing day-of-launch procedures relating to upper air wind 

and thermodynamic requirements for the SLS and MPCV programs. 

U.S. Air Force Space Launch Support 

Air Force Weather (AFW) provides meteorological and space weather products to the Nation’s 

space and missile programs, including a wide range of weather observing services at the Air 

Force Eastern Range and KSC. AFW also provides tailored forecasting for NASA’s manned and 

unmanned launches and for commercial launches from KSC. In addition, AFW provides 

specialized meteorological information for the Air Force Western Range at Vandenberg Air 

Force Base (AFB), California; the Pacific Missile Range, which includes Point Mugu and San 

Nicholas Island, California, and Barking Sands, Hawaii; White Sands Missile Range, New 

Mexico; Kwajalein Missile Range, Republic of the Marshall Islands; and other Department of 

Defense (DoD) research and test facilities as directed. The 45th Weather Squadron directly 

supports the 45th Space Wing of Air Force Space Command at Patrick AFB, Florida, and Cape 

Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The 30th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight 

supports the 30th Space Wing across the Western Range at Vandenberg AFB, California. 
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U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command 

Support to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) 

Army Kwajalein Atoll, a subcommand of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command 

(USASMDC), provides operational support to the RTS. The RTS meteorological services 

contractor provides support for range 

activities, including local and remote 

missile launches, missile weapons 

readiness testing, aviation and marine 

operations, and emergency operations. 

A full suite of meteorological surface, 

upper air, satellite, radar, and lightning 

observing systems are available. 

Surface systems include an intra-atoll 

mesonet and an FAA-approved 

Automated Weather Observing System 

(AWOS III-P/T), supporting range and 

International Civil Aviation Organization Army Airfield operations at 

Kwajalein. Upper air sounding systems 

(1680 MHz), utilizing Global 

Positioning System (GPS) radiosondes, 

are located on Kwajalein and RoiNamur. One portable GPS upper air system (403 MHz) is available to provide soundings at 

remote locations. A dual-polarized Doppler S-band weather radar provides weather surveillance 

from Kwajalein Island, and a Doppler C-band weather radar is available for operations at Wake 

Island. Both are volume-scanning radars that support prediction of lightning events. Two Polarorbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) satellite receivers (one mobile) and one 

geostationary satellite receiver provides access to satellite imagery, cirrus cloud detection, and 

cloud height, with data processing and analysis provided through McIDAS management and 

display systems. A lightning detection network of four sensors is available to the RTS 

meteorologist at Kwajalein. A thunderstorm sensor that includes a field mill supports lightning 

prediction and detection at Wake Island. One thunderstorm sensor is attached to the AWOS IIIP/T. RTS provides rocketsondes locally and at remote locations where radar tracking can 

support. 

In cooperation with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, RTS Weather continues to support 

global climate studies through the Tropical Rainfall Measurements Mission and the follow-on 

program of Global Precipitation Measurement. Solar-Earth radiation fluxes monitoring with a 

suite of radiation measurements systems have continued since 1989 in support of work at 

NOAA’S Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL). 

A rocketsonde launch on Kwajalein Atoll. U.S. Army 

Photo.
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National Park Service/Fish and Wildfire Service 

NPS Air Quality and Visibility Monitoring 

The National Park Service (NPC) monitors air quality and visibility in a number of national 

parks and monuments. Gaseous pollutant data are collected on continuous and integrated (24-

hour to weekly) bases. Surface meteorological data are collected and analyzed for hourly 

averages. Precipitation chemistry is determined on week-long integrated rainfall samples. 

Twenty-four-hour-average particle concentrations (mass, elemental analyses, some chemical 

constituent analyses) are measured every third day. Atmospheric light extinction is measured 

continuously and relayed to a central location for analyses. 

Joint Air Quality Monitoring 

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Air Quality Branch and the NPS Air Resources Division 

operate under an interagency agreement and are located in Lakewood, Colorado. Expertise from 

both agencies is pooled to address the air quality issues that are the responsibility of the Assistant 

Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. 

Map of one-year average standard visual range (SVR) from 2011, in kilometers, calculated from 

IMPROVE particle concentrations. Also shown are the locations of most of the IMPROVE and 

IMPROVE protocol sites. 
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The NPS oversees the operation of the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments 

(IMPROVE) network and the IMPROVE Protocol network in cooperation with the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NOAA, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the FWS, the 

Bureau of Land Management, and various State organizations. Currently, the network has about 

170 sites, mostly funded by the EPA in support of its regional haze regulations and through other 

cooperators. The enhanced network allows a better characterization of visibility and fine particle 

concentrations throughout rural and remote areas of the country (see figure above). 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Assessments and evaluations of radiological impacts. 

At the present time, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a user of meteorological 

information rather than a performer of research in this field. Meteorological data are used to 

assess radiological impacts of routine airborne releases from facilities and to evaluate the impact 

of proposed changes in plant design or operation on unplanned releases. The NRC also maintains 

an interest in the effects of extreme meteorological events on the safe operation of nuclear 

facilities. The NRC uses current meteorological information and climatological predictions of 

long-term (100 years) extreme meteorological events to evaluate new reactor designs and sites. 

Information of this type is also important for developing scenarios of climatological impacts on 

the isolation of long-lived nuclear wastes. 

Within the NRC, the Offices of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and New Reactors conduct reviews 

of nuclear power plant siting, design, construction, and operation, while the Offices of Nuclear 

Material Safety and Safeguards and Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management 

Programs conduct similar reviews of materials and waste facilities. All these reviews include 

consideration of meteorological factors. Employees of these NRC offices also conduct 

rulemaking activities to establish regulatory requirements, and the NRC Regional Offices assure 

that NRC licensees comply with the regulatory requirements. 

SUPPORTING RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 

U.S. Army 

U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine 

U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) conducts basic and 

applied research on the effects of heat, cold, high terrestrial altitude and nutritional status on the 

health and performance of Warfighters and combat crews operating military systems. USARIEM 

provides subject-matter expertise regarding the physiological impact of exposure to extreme 

heat, cold, and altitude on military personnel. Products include a series of technical medical 

bulletins (TB MED), thermal indices, and decision aids. 

Applied research in thermal physiology and biophysical modeling is directed towards improving 

Soldier performance and minimizing health risks in climatic extremes. The research focus is on 

the sensitivity of Soldiers to local weather conditions (ambient temperature, dew point, wind 
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speed, and solar radiation) and its impact on human performance. The overall goals of 

USARIEM weather-related research programs are to develop methods to effectively monitor 

and, where possible, extend the envelope for both training and operations. 

USARIEM is investigating methodologies for integrating real-time local environmental data and 

Warfighter physiological data into predictive modeling processes. The effective combination of 

these two real-time data streams will enable environmental strain and performance status 

predictions for Warfighters. USARIEM is collaborating with other organizations, including the 

Army Research Laboratory-White Sands Missile Range (ARL-WSMR) under a Technology 

Program Agreement (TPA), to ensure access to soldier-scaled weather information and 

meaningful guidance concerning the weather effects on Soldiers. 

National Park Service 

Air Quality Research 

The National Park Service (NPS) conducts and contracts research to develop and test air quality 

models to assess long-range transport, chemical transformation, and deposition of air pollutants. 

These models are used to estimate source contributions to, and to identify source regions 

responsible for, observed pollutant loadings. 

NPS is conducting research in the area of atmospheric nitrogen loading to high-elevation 

ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains, which have documented effects from nitrogen deposition. 

Measurements taken at Rocky Mountain National Park, in Colorado, indicate that routine 

monitoring networks may underestimate nitrogen deposition on the order of 30 percent by not 

analyzing for organic nitrogen and not routinely monitoring for ammonia gas. Source 

apportionment analyses indicate that under high loadings in the spring season, much of the 

nitrogen deposited at the park originates in the urban and agricultural areas of Colorado to the 

east of the park. By contrast, nitrogen loadings during the summer months had a significant 

contribution from Colorado, but higher loadings were noted from source regions out of the state. 

NPS is continuing this line of research in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where some 

effects on aquatic ecosystems from nitrogen deposition have also been documented. A suite of 

field measurements of atmospheric reactive nitrogen was completed in 2011 and is currently 

being analyzed. 

NPS is also examining the effects of recent oil and gas development in North Dakota on Theodor 

Roosevelt National Park. Concentrations of oxides of nitrogen, ozone, volatile organic 

compounds and speciated fine particles were measured during a winter field campaign to assess 

atmospheric deposition and visibility impairment at the park.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Kennedy Space Center Weather Office 

The Kennedy Space Center Weather Office (KSCWO) is described in the section above on 

Operational Programs. In FY 2011, the Director of Research for the KSCWO was a coinvestigator on a climate research proposal to a FY 2011 NASA/ROSES solicitation. The 
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proposal was selected for award in FY 2012 and work on the research was begun. In FY 2013 

and FY 2014, the KSCWO will continue work on the project along with the Principal 

Investigator from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and co-investigator from the University 

of Central Florida. The project is entitled “Vulnerability Analysis of the Environment, Facilities, 

and Personnel of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to Extreme Weather Events and Climate 

Anomalies Resulting from Global Climate Change.” 

Applied Meteorology Unit 

The Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) is a joint venture between KSCWO, USAF 45th Space 

Wing, and NOAA NWS. The AMU is co-located with the 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) 

located at CCAFS. The AMU develops, evaluates, and transitions weather technology into 

operations. 

In FY 2013, the AMU: 

 Developed Objective Lightning Probability Forecasts for commercial airports in EastCentral Florida for which the National Weather Service in Melbourne (NWS MLB) has 

forecasting responsibility. Used NLDN lightning strike data from the 1994-2011 warm 

seasons of May-September. Calculated daily flow regimes and flow regime lightning 

occurrence probabilities for each airport. Stability parameters from the Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station (CCAFS) sounding were used to calculate candidate predictors. After 

the data were stratified by month, logistic regression equations were developed and their 

performance was evaluated. Delivered the capability in an Excel-based graphical user 

interface (GUI). 

 Developed a capability for the 30th Operational Support Squadron (30 OSS) at 

Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) to determine the frequency of occurrence of 

potential violations of user-driven launch weather upper-level wind constraints to 

improve the overall forecast and probability of violation on the day of launch. Used the 

1994-2011 VAFB soundings to determine the probability of violation of specific user 

constraints for maximum wind speed and shear within specified altitudes in support of 

the Minuteman III ballistic missile operations. Delivered the capability as an Excel-based 

GUI. 

 Developed a capability for the NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) for 45 WS launch 

weather officers (LWOs) to rapidly assess Global Forecast System (GFS), North 

American Mesoscale (NAM) and Rapid Refresh (RAP) model forecasts of upper-level 

winds by calculating the differences between the model data and current upper-level wind 

speed and direction observations from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 50 MHz 

Doppler Radar Wind Profiler and CCAFS Automated Meteorological Profiling System 

(AMPS) soundings during launch operations. Developed code in Excel to ingest and 

graphically display real-time model and observational data and delivered the capability as 

an Excel GUI to the LWOs. 

 Assessed the utility of using Global Positioning System (GPS) precipitable water (PW) 

and output from the AMU objective lightning probability tool to predict the probability of 

lightning at a possible temporal resolution of every 30 minutes, the temporal resolution of 

the GPS PW. Conducted tests to determine the time period for the GPS PW change that 
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produces the best probability forecast. Determined that inclusion of the GPS-PW data 

into the AMU objective lightning probability as a predictor did not improve model 

performance. 

 Completed processing VAFB tower data and developed a database containing maximum 

hourly peak winds for each day from October 2007-November 2012 to provide a wind 

forecasting capability that will improve wind warning forecasts and enhance the safety of 

the 30 OSS customers’ operations. An Excel GUI will provide the capability to ingest 

surface pressure data automatically and determine the likelihood of reaching warninglevel winds based on the pressure gradient across VAFB. 

 Created distributions of time of the first lightning strike of the day in the KSC/CCAFS 

lightning warning areas based on 45 WS sea breeze flow regimes and mean speeds based 

on the winds in the 0-5000 ft layer. Develop a GUI that provides the distribution of first 

lightning flash times to assist the 45 WS customers to plan for activities prone to 

disruption due to lightning activity. 

 Provide improved accuracy for severe weather notifications and better prepare decision 

makers to implement appropriate mitigation efforts by building a sounding database from 

the 1500 UTC CCAFS rawinsondes from 1989-2012, updating severe weather report 

database using nationally available severe weather records from the National Climatic 

Data Center and the Storm Prediction Center, and calculating stability parameters based 

on the 1500 UTC CCAFS sounding database. Deliver a severe weather GUI in the 

Meteorological Interactive Data Display System based on the findings. 

 Acquire dual-/multi-Doppler software and run test cases using the 45 Space Wing (45 

SW) and NWS MLB Doppler radars. Evaluate the dual-Doppler system to assure the 

output proves to be useful and easily interpreted by the user community. If test cases are 

found to be operationally useful, further collaborate with NWS MLB and the 45 WS to 

determine the most useful products for display 

 Develop upper-level (UL) wind profile temporal pair databases and conduct a statistical 

analysis of wind changes at the ER, Western Range (WR) and WFF for use by NASA 

LSP space launch vehicle teams in their commit-to-launch decisions. The intent of these 

databases is to help LSP improve the accuracy of launch commit decisions by applying 

wind change statistics based on measured historical data, as opposed to modeled data, 

into UL wind assessments. 

 Continued evaluating configurations for a high-resolution model for the Eastern Range 

(ER) and Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) to better forecast a variety of unique weather 

phenomena in support of space launch activities. Ran test cases for the warm and cool 

seasons using several Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model domain 

configurations. Preliminary results comparing the WRF model forecasts against wind 

tower, accumulated precipitation, and sounding data show that Advanced Research WRF 

(ARW) outperforms the WRF Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale Model (NMM). 

 Supported launch operations for four Atlas V, two Delta IV and one Falcon 9. 
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In FY 2014 the AMU will: 

 Establish a high-resolution model with data assimilation (DA) for the ER and WFF to 

better forecast a variety of unique weather phenomena. Provide a recommended local DA 

and numerical forecast model design optimized for the ER and WFF to support space 

launch activities. The model will be optimized for local weather challenges at both 

locations. 

 Continue running dual-/multi-Doppler test cases using the 45 SW and NWS Melbourne 

MLB Doppler radars. Evaluate the dual-Doppler system to assure the output proves to be 

useful and easily interpreted by the user community. 

 Support launch operations for Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 9. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

Air Quality Research 

Meteorological support to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and 

Development and Office of Air and Radiation, EPA regional offices, and to State and local 

agencies includes the following activities: 

 Conducting basic and applied research in air quality modeling 

 Conducting field studies for air quality model development and air quality model 

evaluations 

 Developing and applying multi-scale and multi-pollutant air quality models for pollution 

control, direct and indirect exposure assessments, and emission control strategy 

assessment 

 Reviewing of meteorological aspects of environmental impact statements, state 

implementation plans, and pollution variance requests 

 Providing Air Quality Index forecasts to state and local agencies for health advisory 

warnings 

 Understanding the relationships between air quality and human health 

 Understanding the atmospheric loading of pollutants to sensitive ecosystems 

 Understanding the interactions of global climate change and air quality 

 Emergency response planning in support of homeland security 

Meteorological expertise and guidance are also provided for developing the national air quality 

standards, modeling guidelines, and policy development activities of the EPA. In light of the 

1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act and the recent national rules, air quality models and the 

manner in which they are used are expected to continue to grow over the next few years. In the 

area of pollutant deposition, the evaluation of nitrogen, oxidant, sulfur, and aerosol chemistries 

will help to clarify the roles of model formulation, cloud processes, aerosols, radiative transfer, 

and air/surface exchanges in air quality model predictions, leading to a better understanding of 
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2-209 

model predictions relative to control strategy assessments. Further development and evaluation 

of existing air quality models will take place to accommodate the inter-pollutant effects, resulting 

from the variety of control programs that are now or may be in place, such as the new National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and particulate pollution. These inter-pollutant effects 

include trade-offs among controls on ozone, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic 

compounds, as well as developing predictable methods of forecasting the impacts on various 

measures of air quality. 

With respect to the fine particulate model development, air quality models are being enhanced to 

accurately predict aerosol growth from precursors over local and regional-scale transport 

distances. As the concentration thresholds for the standards decrease, it will be important to 

understand intercontinental transport of pollution and how this would affect our ability to meet 

and maintain standards in the future. To assist in the evaluation of the contribution of various 

sources to regional air degradation, inert tracer and tagged species numerical models have been 

developed. These models will introduce separate calculations for inert or reactive chemical 

species emitted from a particular source or region. The calculations will proceed to simulate 

transport and transformation to a receptor point, where the contribution of emission sources can 

be discerned. 

Atmospheric research, regarding the effects of climate change on regional air quality, involves 

both analytical and statistical climatology as well as linking global climate models with regional 

chemical transport models, and the development of coupled models to better simulate the 

interactions between meteorology and atmospheric chemistry. Currently research is underway to 

test the efficacy of these models to accurately simulate the effects of aerosols on radiation. 

Research in human exposure modeling includes both micro-environmental monitoring and 

modeling and the development of exposure assessment tools. This research entails linking air 

quality models to exposure models to understand the relationships between air quality and 

human health. Micro-environmental algorithms are being developed based on field data to 

predict air quality in buildings, attached garages, and street canyons. These improved algorithms 

are then incorporated into micro-environmental simulation models for conducting human 

exposure assessments within enclosed spaces in which specific human activities occur. 

In addition to the above major areas, dispersion models for inert, reactive, and toxic pollutants 

are under development and evaluation on all temporal and spatial scales; i.e., indoor, urban, 

complex terrain, mesoscale, regional, and global. Other efforts include modeling nutrient 

deposition to the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf Coast, mercury deposition to the Florida Everglades, 

and the determination of meteorological effects on air quality. Atmospheric flow and dispersion 

experimental data obtained from wind tunnel and convection tank experiments in the EPA Fluid 

Modeling Facility will be used to continue development and evaluation of these models along 

with providing researchers with insight into the basic physical processes that affect pollutant 

dispersion around natural and man-made obstacles. For example, the transport and dispersion of 

airborne agents in the Manhattan, New York, and the Pentagon were simulated in the wind 

tunnel to help build confidence in the modeling assessment of the source-receptor relationships 

for horrific events such as the one that occurred on September 11, 2001. The impacts of roadway 

configuration, noise barriers, and vegetation on air quality near roadways are being assessed, and 
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2-210 

improvements are being made to the EPA’s AERMOD model to better simulate the transport and 

dispersion of pollutants from roadways. 

Over the past 25 years, numerous air quality simulation models have been developed to estimate 

reductions in ambient air pollutant concentrations, resulting from potential emission control 

strategies. Separate models were developed, for example, for tropospheric ozone and 

photochemical smog, for acid deposition, and for fine particles. Distinct models also existed for 

addressing urban scale problems and the larger regional scale problems. It has been recognized, 

however, that the various pollutant regimes are closely linked chemically, spatially, and 

temporally in the atmosphere. The principal purpose of the Community Multi-scale Air Quality 

(CMAQ) modeling project was to develop a “one-atmosphere,” flexible environmental modeling 

tool that integrates the major atmospheric pollution regimes in a multi-scale, multi-pollutant 

modeling system. This system will enable high-level computational access to both scientific and 

air quality management users for socio-economic applications in community health assessments 

and ecosystem sustainability studies. 

The CMAQ model (first released in June 1998) is used by Federal and state agencies, industry, 

and academia and is updated periodically to reflect the state-of-science. The latest version of 

CMAQ, which includes science enhancements and computational efficiencies, was released in 

February 2012. It is also intended to serve as a community framework for continual advancement 

and for use in conducting environmental assessments. To this end, EPA has established a 

Community Modeling and Analysis System at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, 

North Carolina, to provide user support and training to modelers at the state agencies and 

universities. New versions of the CMAQ modeling system and associated documentation 

(Installation and Operations Manual, User Manual, Science Document, and tutorial) are publicly 

available. Additional information is available on the division web site at 

http://www.epa.gov/amad. 

From FY 2005 to FY 2008, the EPA worked closely with the NWS National Centers for 

Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in the continued development, evaluation, and use of a 

coupled meteorological-chemical transport model (WRF-CMAQ) for predicting ambient air 

quality over the continental United States. NWS implemented the CMAQ modeling system, to 

provide daily forecast guidance for ozone nationwide on an operational basis and fine particulate 

matter forecast on an experimental basis. State and local air quality management agencies are 

responsible to forecast local air quality and provide health advisory warnings. 

The EPA, through participation in the interagency Information Technology Research and 

Development (IT R&D) Program, is developing a modeling framework that supports integration 

of diverse models (e.g., atmospheric, land surface, and watershed). The EPA’s IT R&D work 

also enables increased efficiency in air quality-meteorological modeling through research on 

parallel implementation of the CMAQ modeling system. The evolving research seeks to improve 

the environmental management community’s ability to evaluate the impact of air quality and 

watershed management practices, at multiple scales, on stream and estuarine conditions. The 

following primary objectives are directed toward this goal: 

 Developing a prototype multiscale integrated modeling system with predictive 

meteorological capability for transport and fate of nutrients and chemical stressors 
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 Enabling the use of remotely sensed meteorological data 

 Developing a computer-based problem-solving environment with ready access to data, 

models, and integrated visualization and analysis tools for water and air quality 

management, local and regional development planning, and exposure-risk assessments 

A variety of research areas are being pursued such as the integration of hydrology and 

atmospheric models; coupling of meteorology and atmospheric chemistry calculations to account 

for the influence of radiatively active atmospheric pollutants on atmospheric dynamics and 

subsequent effects on air pollution; enhanced atmospheric dry deposition models; multi-scale 

and spatially explicit watershed modeling tools; and model-coupling technology for integrating 

media and scale-specific models. 

The EPA also maintains good working relationships with foreign countries to facilitate the 

exchange of research meteorologists and research results, pertaining to meteorological aspects of 

air pollution. For example, agreements are currently in place with Canada, the United Kingdom, 

Greece, Japan, Korea, China, India, and Mexico, and with several European countries under the 

NATO Committee for Science for Peace. 
 A-1 

APPENDIX A 

ACRONYMS 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-2 

3DWF 3D [three dimensional] Wind Field [model] 

4DWX Four-Dimensional Weather System 

AAWU Alaska Aviation Weather Unit 

ACC [USAF] Air Combat Command 

ACCESS Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science 

ACE Advance Composition Explorer 

AD Active Duty 

ADA Air Domain Awareness 

ADAS AWOS Data Acquisition System 

ADDS Aviation Digital Data Service 

AFB Air Force Base 

AFCENT Air Force Central Command 

AFI Air Force Instruction 

AFRC Air Force Reserve Command 

AFRI Agriculture and Food Research Initiative 

AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory 

AFW Air Force Weather 

AFWA Air Force Weather Agency 

AFWEPS Air Force Weather Ensemble Prediction Suite 

AFW-WEBS Air Force Weather Web Services 

AgriMet [Bureau of Reclamation] Agricultural Weather 

AHPS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service 

AIP Airport Improvement Program [FAA] 

AIRMoN Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network 

AMC U.S. Army Materiel Command 

AMS American Meteorological Society; [FAA] Acquisition Management System; 

Autonomous Modular Sensor; Analysis and Modeling Subsystem 

AMSR Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 

AMSR-E [Aqua satellite] Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-E 

AMU Applied Meteorology Unit 

ANG Air National Guard 

ANSP Air Navigation Service Provider 

AO Announcement of Opportunity 

AOC [NOAA] Aircraft Operations Center 

AOML Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory 

AOR Area of Responsibility 

ARL [NOAA] Air Resources Laboratory 

ARM Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility 

ARS Agricultural Research Service 

ARTCC Air Route Traffic Control Center 

ASCC Army Service Component Commands 

ASNE MSEA [DOD] Air and Space Natural Environment Modeling and Simulation Executive Agent 

ASOS Automated Surface Observing System 

ASR Atmospheric System Research [activity in DOE/CESD]; Airport Surveillance Radar 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-3 

ASR-11 Airport Surveillance Radar Model 11 

ASR-9 Airport Surveillance Radar Model 9 

ASWON Automated Surface Weather Observation Network 

ATCSCC Air Traffic Control System Command Center 

ATD atmospheric transport and diffusion 

ATDD Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division [NOAA] 

ATEC U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command 

ATLAS Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition System 

ATM Air Traffic Management 

ATO Air Traffic Organization [FAA] 

ATOP Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures 

ATOS Applications, Transactions, and Observations Subsystem 

AWC [NOAA/NECEP] Aviation Weather Center 

AWG Aviation Weather Group [FAA] 

AWIPS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System 

AWOS Automated Weather Observing System 

AWOS III-P/T Automated Weather Observing System [variant of AWOS] 

AWRP Aviation Weather Research Program [FAA] 

AWRT Advanced Weather Radar Technique 

AWSD Aviation Weather Services Directorate 

AWSS Automated Weather Sensors Systems 

BASC Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate 

BCTP Battle Command Training Program 

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs 

BLM Bureau of Land Management 

BonD Battlespace on Demand 

CAC [U.S. Army] Combined Arms Center 

CAgM [WMO] Commission for Agricultural Meteorology 

CALIPSO Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations 

CAP Civil Air Patrol; Common Alerting Protocol 

CASR Committee for Aviation Services and Research 

CBRNE chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive 

CCAFS Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

CCMC Community Coordinated Modeling Center 

CCSP U.S. Climate Change Science Program 

CDMP Climate Database Modernization Program 

CDR climate data record 

CEISC Committee on Environmental Information Systems and Communications 

CENR [NSTC] Committee on Environment and Natural Resources 

CENRS [NSTC] Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability 

CERIS Coastal, Estuary Resource Information System 

CESD Climate and Environmental Sciences Division [DOE Office of Science] 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-4 

CESM Community Earth System Model 

CESORN Committee on Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs 

CFC chlorofluorocarbon 

CFSR Climate Forecast System Reanalysis

CHPS Community Hydrologic Prediction System 

CI-FLOW Coastal-Inland Flood Observation and Warning 

CICE DOE/OS/CESD sea ice model 

CICS Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites 

CICS-NC Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites North Carolina 

CIOS Committee for Integrated Observing Systems 

CIP Current Icing Product 

CISM Community Ice Sheet Model (DOE/OS/CESD) 

CJMTK Commercial Joint Mapping Tool Kit 

CLASS Comprehensive Large-Array data Stewardship System 

CLIVAR Climate Variability and Predictability Experiment 

CMAQ Community Multi-scale Air Quality 

CMAS Commercial Mobile Alert System 

CMD-P Computer Meteorological Data-Profiler 

CME coronal mass ejection(s) 

CMIP5 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 

CMS Carbon Monitoring System 

CNMOC Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command 

CNO Chief of Naval Operations 

COAMPS Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System 

COASTAL Coastal Oceanographic Applications and Services for Tides and Lakes 

CoCoRaHS Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow [network] 

COLA Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies 

COMNAVMETOCCOM Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command 

CONPLAN Concept of Operations Plan 

COOP Cooperative Observer Program 

CO-OPS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services 

COPC Committee for Operational Processing Centers 

CORMS Continuous Operational Real-time Monitoring System 

COSIM Climate, Ocean and Sea Ice Modeling Project 

COSMIC-2 Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate-2 

CPC Climate Prediction Center 

CPP Command Post Platform 

CSD [NOAA/NWS] Climate Services Division 

CSESMO Committee for Space Environmental Sensor Mitigation Options 

CVA Ceiling and Visibility, Analysis [FAA/AWRP] 

CVF Ceiling and Visibility, Forecast [FAA/AWRP] 

CWSU Center Weather Service Unit 

DAC [AOML] Data Assembly Center; Department of the Army Civilian 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-5 

DAPE Data Acquisition, Processing, and Exchange 

DASI Digital Altimeter Setting Indicator 

DATMS Defense Information Switched Network Asynchronous Transfer Mode System 

DEM digital elevation model 

DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

DMCC DOE Meteorological Coordinating Council 

DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program 

DOC U.S. Department of Commerce 

DOD U.S. Department of Defense 

DOE U.S. Department of Energy 

DOI U.S. Department of the Interior 

DOMSAT domestic communication satellite 

DOS U.S. Department of State 

DOT U.S. Department of Transportation 

DOTMLPF doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, education, personnel, and facilities 

DPG Dugway Proving Ground 

DSCOVR Deep Space Climate Observatory 

DTC Developmental Test Center; [U.S. Army] Developmental Test Command 

DTRA Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

DTSS Digital Topographic Support System 

EAS Emergency Alert System 

EcoFOCI Ecosystem-Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations 

ECV Essential Climate Variables 

EdIWG [CCSP] Education Interagency Working Group 

ELV Expendable Launch Vehicle(s) 

EMC [NOAA/NCEP] Environmental Modeling Center 

EMI SIG Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group 

EMSL Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory 

EOSDIS Earth Observing System Data and Information System 

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

EPI Enhanced Precipitation Identification 

ERAM En Route Automation Modernization 

ERC [hurricane] eyewall replacement cycles 

ERDC [USACE] Engineer Research and Development Center 

EROS [USGS] Earth Resources Observation and Science [center] 

ESM [DOE/OS/CESD] Earth System Models 

ESRL Earth System Research Laboratory 

ESS Environmental Sensor Station(s) 

ESTP [NASA] Earth Science Technology Program 

ET evapotranspiration 

EUMETSAT European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites 

FAA Federal Aviation Administration 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-6 

FAR false alarm rate 

FCAMMS Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke 

FCMSSR Federal Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research 

FEC Fire Executive Council 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 

FFMP Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction 

FHWA Federal Highway Administration 

FIP Forecast Icing Product 

FMF Fleet Marine Force 

FNMOC Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center 

FOR Flight Operations Review 

FPAW Friends/Partners in Aviation Weather 

FRA Federal Railroad Administration 

FRD [NOAA/ARL] Field Research Division 

FSR Forest Service Research 

FTE full-time equivalent 

FWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

FY fiscal year 

GACC Geographic Area Coordinating Center 

GBS Global Broadcast Service 

GCOS Global Climate Observing System 

GEOSS Global Earth Observation System of Systems 

GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory [NOAA-associated] 

GFDN Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Navy [model] 

GHCN-M Global Historical Climatology Network-Monthly 

GIS geographic information system 

GLD Global Lagrangian Drifters 

GLERL Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory 

GLOBE Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment 

GMD [NOAA/OAR/ESRL] Global Monitoring Division 

GODAE Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment 

GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 

GOES-R Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R 

GOOS Global Ocean Observing System 

GOSIC Global Observing Systems Information Center 

GPS Global Positioning System 

GPS-Met GPS-Meteorology 

GRA GOOS Regional Alliances 

GRIP Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes [NASA project] 

GSD [ESRL] Global Systems Division 

GTGN Graphical Turbulence Guidance Nowcast 

GTOS Global Terrestrial Observing System 

GTS Global Telecommunications System 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-7 

HALE high altitude, long-endurance [UAS] 

HAZUS Multi-Hazard Loss Estimation Methodology 

HCFC hydrochlorofluorocarbon 

HEL high-energy laser 

HELSTF High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility 

HF high frequency 

HFIP Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project 

HFPP HRD Field Program Plan 

HHWWS Heat Health Watch Warning Systems 

HMR [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] hydrometeorological report(s) 

HMT Hydrometeorological Testbed 

HPC [NPAA/NCEP] Hydrometeorological Prediction Center 

HPCMP [DOD] High Performance Computing Modernization Program 

HQDA Headquarters, Department of the Army 

HRD [NOAA/OMAO] Hurricane Research Division 

HSPD Homeland Security Presidential Directive 

HWRF Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting 

HYPOP Hybrid Coordinate Parallel Ocean Program [DOE model] 

HYSPLIT Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory [ATD model] 

IBTrACS International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship 

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization 

ICESCAPE Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment 

ICMSSR Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research 

ICOADS International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set 

IFEX Intensity Forecast Experiment 

IHC Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference 

IIP International Ice Patrol 

IMAAC Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center 

IMET Incident Meteorologist 

IMETS Integrated Meteorological System 

IMPROVE Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments [program] 

INL Idaho National Laboratory 

IPAWS Integrated Public Alert and Warning System 

IPB intelligence preparation of the battlespace 

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPE intelligence preparation of the environment 

IRTSS Infrared Target Scene Simulator 

ISCS International Satellite Communications System 

ISES International Space Environment Service 

ISMS [DOE] Integrated Safety Management System 

ISR intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance 

ISS International Space Station 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-8 

IT information technology 

IT R&D Information Technology Research and Development [Program] 

ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems 

ITWS Integrated Terminal Weather System 

IWEDA Integrated Weather Decision Aid 

IWGCCST Interagency Working Group on Climate Change Science and Technology 

IWRSS Integrated Water Resources Science and Services 

JAG Joint Action Group 

JAG/ADM Joint Action Group on Architecture and Data Management ( 

JAG/CCM Joint Action Group for Centralized Communications Management 

JAG/JUTB Joint Action Group for Joint Urban Test Beds 

JAG/MD Joint Action Group on Metadata 

JAG/OCM Joint Action Group for Operational Community Modeling 

JAG/ODAA Joint Action Group for Operational Data Acquisition for Assimilation 

JAWF Joint Agricultural Weather Facility 

JAWS Juneau Airport Wind System 

JCIDS Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System 

JCSDA Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation 

JHT Joint Hurricane Testbed 

JPDO Joint Planning and Development Office 

JPSS Joint Polar Satellite System 

JSC [NASA] Johnson Space Center 

JTWC Joint Typhoon Warning Center 

KDP Key Decision Point 

KSC [NASA] Kennedy Space Center 

KSCWO SOMD Weather Office at NASA Kennedy Space Center 

LAN local area network 

LAP Lightning Advisory Panel 

LBS Littoral Battlespace Sensing 

LDCM Landsat Data Continuity Mission 

LIDAR light detection and ranging 

LLCC lightning launch commit criteria 

LLWAS Low Level Wind shear Alerting System 

LLWAS-NE LLWAS Network Expansion 

LRGS [USGS] local readout ground station(s) 

M&O management and operating 

MACPEX Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment 

MADA Monsoon Area Drought Atlas 

MADIS Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System 

MAGTF Marine Air Ground Task Force 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-9 

MALE medium altitude, long endurance [UAS] 

MASPS Minimum Aviation Safety Performance Standards 

MAW Marine Aircraft Wing 

MEF Marine Expeditionary Force 

MET meteorological; Meteorology and Oceanography 

MetMF(R) Meteorological Mobile Facility-Replacement 

METOC meteorological and oceanographic 

METOP Meteorological Operational Polar 

METSAT meteorological satellite 

MM5 Mesoscale Model Version 5 

MMS-P Meteorological Measurement Set-Profiler 

MOC [NextGen] Mid-term Operational Capability 

MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer 

MOPS Minimum Operations Standards 

MOU memorandum of understanding 

MPAR multifunction phased array radar 

MPCV Multipurpose Crew Vehicle 

MRMS [FAA/AWRP] Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor [capability] 

MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center 

MST METOC Support Team 

MTOE Modified Table of Organization and Equipment 

MTSAT [Japanese] Multifunctional Transport Satellite 

MWPI Microburst Windspeed Potential Index 

MWSG Marine Wing Support Group 

MWSS Marine Wing Support Squadron 

NADM North American Drought Monitor 

NADP National Atmospheric Deposition Program 

NAO NOAA Administrative Order 

NAS National Airspace System 

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service 

NAVOCEANO Naval Oceanographic Office 

NAVOCEANOPSCOM Naval Oceanography Operations Command 

NBC nuclear, biological, and chemical 

NCA National Climate Assessment 

NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research 

NCDC National Climatic Data Center 

NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction 

NCOM Navy Coastal Ocean Model 

NCV National Ceiling and Visibility [FAA/AWRP Product Team] 

NDBC National Data Buoy Center 

NDFD National Digital Forecast Database 

NDMC National Drought Mitigation Center 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-10 

NEB Natural Environments Branch [MSFC] 

NESDIS [NOAA] National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

NEXION NEXt-generation IONosonde 

NEXRAD Next-Generation Weather Radar 

NextGen Next Generation Air Transportation System 

NFDRS National Fire Danger Rating System 

NFIP National Flood Insurance Program 

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 

NGDC National Geophysical Date Center 

NGEE Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments 

NHC [NCEP] National Hurricane Center 

NICC National Interagency Coordination Center 

NIDIS National Integrated Drought Information System 

NIFA National Institute for Food and Agriculture 

NIFC National Interagency Fire Center 

NITES Navy Integrated Tactical Environmental System 

NNEW NextGen Network Enabled Weathe 

NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration 

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NOCMP National Operational Coastal Modeling Program 

NODC National Oceanographic Data Center 

NOGAPS Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System 

NOHRSC National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center 

NOMADS National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System 

NOP Naval Oceanography Program 

NOPC National Operational Processing Centers Program Council 

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command 

NOS National Ocean Service 

NOWCON Network of Weather and Climate Observing Networks 

NPDIA National Plan for Disaster Impact Assessments: Weather and Water Data 

NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System 

NPP NPOESS Preparatory Project 

NPRB North Pacific Research Board 

NPS National Park Service 

NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission; National Research Council 

NRCC [FEMA] National Response Coordination Center 

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service 

NRL Naval Research Laboratory 

NRL/MRY Marine Meteorology Division of the Naval Research Laboratory [NRL Monterey] 

NSF National Science Foundation 

NSIP National Streamflow Information Program 

NSIR Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

NSPD National Security Presidential Directive 

NSSL [NOAA] National Severe Storm Laboratory 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-11 

NSWP National Space Weather Program 

NSWRC NextGen Surveillance and Weather Radar Capability 

NTAS Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station 

NTHMP National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program 

NUOPC National Unified Operational Prediction Capability 

NWCG National Wildfire Coordinating Group 

NWIS National Water Information System 

NWLON National Water Level Observation Network 

NWP numerical weather prediction 

NWR NOAA Weather Radio 

NWRT National Weather Radar Testbed 

NWS [NOAA] National Weather Service 

OAR [NOAA] Office of Atmospheric Research 

OCE (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist 

ODCS [U.S. Army] Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff 

OEP Operational Evolution Partnership [FAA airport designation] 

OFCM Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research 

OGC Open Geospatial Consortium 

OMAO [NOAA] Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 

OMB Office of Management and Budget 

ONR Office of Naval Research 

OPC Ocean Prediction Center 

OSSE observing system simulation experiment 

OSTEP Ocean Systems Test and Evaluation Program 

OSTM Ocean Surface Topography Mission 

OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy 

OTN [Defense Information Systems Agency] Optical Transport Network 

OTSR Optimum Track Ship Routing 

OWS [USAF] Operational Weather Squadron 

P3I Pre-Planned Product Improvement 

PACAF Pacific Air Forces 

PARISE Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment 

PCMDI Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison 

PLAN Personal Localized Alert Network 

PMEL Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 

PNE PIRATA Northeast Extension [project] 

POD probability of detection 

POES Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite 

POP Parallel Ocean Program [DOE/OS/CESD model] 

POPS Primary Oceanographic Prediction System 

PORTS® Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System 

PREDICT Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud-systems in the Tropics 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-12 

PSD [ESRL] Physical Sciences Division 

PTWC Pacific Tsunami Warning Center 

QPE quantitative precipitation estimation(s) 

QPF quantitative precipitation forecast 

R&D research and development 

R2O Research to Operations 

RASCAL Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis 

RAWS Remote Automated Weather Stations (network) 

RBSP Ring Current, Radiation Belts, Solar Particles [satellite] 

RDT&E research development, test, and evaluation 

RES Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research 

RFC [NWS] River Forecast Center 

RGCM Regional and Global Climate Modeling [in DOE/OS/CESD] 

RIMS Radio Interference Measuring Set 

ROMANS Rocky Mountain Atmospheric Nitrogen and Sulfur 

ROSES [NASA] Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 

RPA Remotely Piloted Aircraft 

RSMC Regional Specialized Meteorological Center 

RSTN Radio Solar Telescope Network 

RTC Redstone Test Center 

RTS Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site 

RTVS Real-Time Verification System 

RUC Rapid Update Cycle [NWS forecast model] 

RVR Runway Visual Range 

RWI Reduce Weather Impact 

RWMP Road Weather Management Program 

SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users 

SAS [NextGen] Single Authoritative Source 

SAWS Stand Alone Weather Sensors [FAA] 

SCAN Soil Climate Analysis Network 

SCAP Security Certification and Accreditation Package 

SCAPA Subcommittee for Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions 

SDO Solar Dynamics Observatory 

SDR [CENRS] Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction 

SEBN Surface Energy Budget Network 

SEES Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability 

SEON Solar Electro-optical Observing Network 

SERVIR Sistema Regional de Visualizacion y Monitoreo [NASA network] 

SESAR Single European Sky ATM Research 

SFMR stepped frequency microwave radiometer 

SGOT Strike Group Oceanography Team 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-13 

SICPS Standard Integrated Command Post Shelter 

SIP Societal Impacts Program 

SIR System Integration Review 

SLEP Service Life Extension Program 

SLOSH Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes [storm surge model] 

SMAP [NASA] Soil Moisture Active-Passive [Satellite Mission] 

SMD [NASA] Science Mission Directorate 

SMDC [U.S. Army] Space and Missile Defense Command 

SMG [NWS] Spaceflight Meteorology Group 

SNOTEL SNOw pack TELemetry 

SOF Special Operations Forces 

SOHO Solar and Heliospheric Observatory 

SOMD [NASA] Space Operations Mission Directorate 

SOON Solar Observing Optical Network 

SOOP Ship of Opportunity Program 

SORD [NOAA/ARL] Special Operations and Research Division 

SPC [NCEP] Storm Prediction Center 

SRS Solar Radio Spectrograph 

SST sea surface temperature 

SSWSF Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program 

STAR Center for Satellite Applications and Research 

STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

STEREO Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory 

STIWG Satellite Telemetry Interagency Working Group 

SWEF Space Weather Enterprise Forum 

SWIM [NextGen] System Wide Information Management 

SWPC Space Weather Prediction Center 

SWSI State Surface Water Supply Index(es) 

TAF Terminal Aerodrome Forecast 

TAO Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean [Project] 

TAO/TRITON Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean/TRIangle Trans-Ocean buoy Network 

TAWS Target Acquisition Weapons Software 

TDA Tactical Decision Aid 

TDWR Terminal Doppler Weather Radar 

TFCC Task Force Climate Change 

T-IWEDA Tri-Service Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid 

TMC traffic management center 

TOC Tactical Operations Center 

TOE Table of Organization and Equipment 

TRADOC U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command 

TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 

TSG thermosalinograph 

TSO Technical Standard Order [FAA] 
Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-14 

UAS unmanned aircraft systems; unmanned aerial systems 

UHF ultrahigh frequency 

UNEP United Nations Environment Program 

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 

UNOLS University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System 

UNSWC Unified National Space Weather Capability 

URI University of Rhode Island 

USA U.S. Army 

USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

USAF U.S. Air Force 

USAICoE U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence 

USARNORTH U. S. Army North 

USASMDC U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command 

USCG U.S. Coast Guard 

USCRN U.S. Climate Reference Network 

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture 

USDM U.S. Drought Monitor 

USFF U.S. Fleet Forces Command 

USFS U.S. Forest Service 

USGCRP U.S. Global Change Research Program 

USGS U.S. Geological Survey 

USHCN U.S. Historical Climatology Network 

USNO U.S. Naval Observatory 

USNORTHCOM U.S. Northern Command 

USWRP U.S. Weather Research Program 

UV ultraviolet 

VAAC Volcanic Ash Advisory Center 

VAFB Vandenberg Air Force Base 

VFR visual flight rules 

VORTEX2 Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 

VOS Volunteer Observing System 

WAFS World Area Forecast System 

WAMIS World AgroMeteorological Information Service 

WAOB World Agricultural Outlook Board 

WARP Weather And Radar Processor [FAA] 

WASDE World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates [report] 

WC/ATWC West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center 

WEBB Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets 

WFDSS Wildland Fire Decision Support System 

WFIP Wind Forecast Improvement Project 

WFO National Weather Service Forecast Office 
 Appendix A - Acronyms 

 A-15 

WG/DIAP Working Group for Disaster Impact Assessments and Plans: Weather and Water Data ( 

WG/TBC Working Group for Test Bed Coordination 

WG/UM Working Group for Urban Meteorology 

WG/VA Working Group on Volcanic Ash 

WG/WIST Working Group on Weather Information for Surface Transportation 

WGA Western Governors’ Association 

WHDE Wind Hazard Detection Equipment 

WIFS WAFS Internet File Service 

WIMS weather information management system 

WIS WMO Information Service 

WMO World Meteorological Organization 

WoF Warn on Forecast [Program] 

WP Work Product 

WRAP Wildfire Research and Applications Partnership 

WRD [USGS] Water Resources Discipline 

WRE-N Weather Running Estimate-Nowcasts 

WRF Weather Research and Forecasting 

WRTM Weather-Responsive Traffic Management 

WS [USAF] Weather Squadron 

WSDS Wind Shear Detection Services 

WSP [FAA] Weather Systems Processor 

WSR-88D Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler 

WTIC Weather Technology in the Cockpit 

WUI Wildland-Urban Interface 

WW3 Wave Watch III [model] 

WWCB Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin 

WWLLN World Wide Lightning Locator Network 

WXG [USAF] Weather Group 

XBT Expendable BathyThermograph [Program] 
Contributing Agency Points of Contact 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Mark Brusberg 

 Harlan Shannon 

Department of Commerce 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lara Hinderstein 

 National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service Kelly Turner 

 Lisa Heilmeier 

 National Ocean Service Darren Wright 

 Jason Shadid 

 National Weather Service Patrick Nield 

 Sreela Nandi 

 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Brian Orndorff 

 Melissa Pratt-Zossoungbo 

 Office of Marine and Aviation Operations LCDR Brad Fritzler 

 Kate Balet 

Department of Defense Lt Col Thomas Blazek 

 Marsha Korose 

Joint Staff Lt Col Kyle Bellue 

 U.S. Air Force Ralph Stoffler 

 U.S. Navy Philip Vinson 

 U.S. Marine Corps Maj Jeff Wooldridge 

 U.S. Army David Johnson 

Department of Energy Rick Petty 

 Jim Fairobent 

 

Department of Homeland Security 

Federal Emergency Management Agency Daniel Porter (NOAA Liaison) 

 Sandy Eslinger (NOAA Detailee) 

U.S. Coast Guard Jonathan Berkson 

IMAAC Victor Valentine Davis 

 Betsie Chacko 

Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey Robert Mason 

National Park Service John Vimont 

Bureau of Land Management Lynda Boody 

 Office of Fire and Aviation Grant BeBee 

 Office of Soil Water and Air Larisa Ford 

Department of State David Reidmiller 

 Anne Kolker 

 

Department of Transportation 

Federal Aviation Administration James Hartman 

 Alex Kryazhev 

Federal Highway Administration Paul Pisano 

 Ram Kandarpa 

Federal Railroad Administration Jared Withers 

 

Environmental Protection Agency Rohit Mathur 

 Tom Pierce 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Peter Meister 

 Elizabeth Yoseph 

 

National Science Foundation Nicholas Anderson 

 Steve Nelson 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Brad Harvey 

 

Smithsonian Institution Rick Wunderman